Two Soledad men killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 101 just south of 5th Street identified

GONZALES, Calif. (KION-TV)- The California Highway Patrol confirmed that two people have died in a multi-vehicle crash that involved a wrong-way driver early Sunday morning.

CHP Monterey said that they received a call of a multi-vehicle crash that occurred on Highway 101 in the area of Gloria Road around 3:34 a.m.

Officers later determined that the crash happened on Southbound Highway 101 just south of 5th Street with reports of the roadway being covered with debris, and both vehicles having significant damage.

The California Highway Patrol arrived on the scene and determined that this was a head-on crash involving a wrong-way driver.

According to CHP, an early investigation showed that a red 2004 Dodge Neon, carrying four people, was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes and crashed into a black 2015 Honda Civic.

The Dodge Neon was located in the center median and the Honda Civic was located on the right shoulder.

The driver of the Neon was pronounced dead at the scene as they were pinned within the driver's seat. A rear passenger was pronounced dead at the scene and had been ejected from the vehicle.

Two other passengers in the Dodge Neon were transported to a local hospital for major injuries. According to CHP, one of the passengers of the Dodge Neon told officers that he and his friends were coming back from a bar in Soledad.

The deceased were identified by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office as Eduardo Hernandez Matias, 25, and Oscar Hernandez Matias, 28, both from Soledad.

The driver of the Honda Civic was pinned in the driver's seat with multiple leg fractures and a female passenger was out of the vehicle and complaint of pain injuries. Both the driver and the passenger of the Civic were transported to a local hospital.

Family members have identified the driver of the Honda Civic as Daniel Silva. Silva is still in the hospital being treated for his injuries. His GoFundMe is here.

Southbound Highway 101 traffic near 5th Street was closed for several hours as medical personnel and firefighters could extract the subjects from the center median and right shoulder.

All southbound lanes of Highway 101 have since been reopened.