Driver dead, motorist hospitalized in early morning Yolo County wreck

A motorist died and another was hospitalized Thursday morning after their vehicles collided in Yolo County.

The crash involving a pickup truck and a small sport utility vehicle occurred shortly before 6:30 a.m. at County Roads 102 and 17, east of Highway 113, according to California Highway Patrol dispatch logs for the agency’s Woodland office.

The force of the crash pushed the SUV off of the roadway where, minutes later, first responders found the driver unresponsive.

The Yolo County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Estela Hernandez Vargas, 71, of Knights Landing.

The driver of the pickup, identified as a 53-year-old Woodland man, was taken to Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center in Solano County with minor injuries.

This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 9:55 AM.

Darrell Smith

The Sacramento Bee

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Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.