Infant survives Sierra crash that kills family; CHP suspects wrong-way driver was drunk

Four people were killed in a crash on Interstate 80 near Yuba Gap early Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Sgt. Steve Casetta told The Sacramento Bee that reports came in at 4:43 a.m. about a wrong-way driver on eastbound I-80 in the area of Yuba Gap. A three-car crash involving the wrong-way driver occurred at 4:47 a.m.

A Jeep driving against oncoming traffic crashed head-on into a Honda Civic with five people inside. Casetta said the five occupants were presumably related: a man, a woman, two young children and an infant.

Both adults and the two older children were killed in the crash. The infant was taken to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno for treatment.

The driver of the Jeep suffered major injuries and also was taken to Renown. CHP investigators suspect the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. Officers were sent to the hospital to take a statement from him.

A third vehicle was hit in the aftermath of the head-on collision, according to Casetta. The status of that driver was unknown.

Eastbound I-80 was closed at the Highway 20 junction for several hours as CHP units responded to the crash. Casetta said that traffic was backed up to Colfax, but after reopening the roadway about noon, traffic was moving again and clearing out.