A fatal crash Saturday evening on highway 101 near Atascadero. Around eight Saturday night, a crash occurred on the northbound side of 101 near Santa Barbara road, just north of Santa Margarita.
47-year-old Berenice Cortez Pineda was driving with four passengers when she pulled to the shoulder of the highway near the Santa Barbara road off-ramp.
21-year-old Felipe Gonzales was driving northbound and lost control of his suburban. It smashed into the rear of Pineda’s car. That caused Pineda’s car to catapult about 120 feet.
Two passengers in Pineda’s car died in the crash. Two other passengers received major injuries.
Felipe Gonzales was arrested and taken to Twin Cities hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Everyone involved in the crash were residents of Santa Maria.
Caltrans closed one lane after the crash, and it was not reopened until around midnight.
