By Steve E. Swenson
The Bakersfield Californian
LOST HILLS, Calif. — Three adults and an infant were killed in a head-on wreck on Highway 46 near Lost Hills Friday, when one of the cars tried to pass several trucks, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The wreck happened at noon about two miles east of Highway 33 in a flat, open section of the road. The roadway is bordered by paved shoulders.
A blue Chevy Cavalier, with a man and woman inside and an infant in the back seat, was heading east and was trying to pass at least two big rigs, the CHP said. Heading the other way was a green Toyota Prius with a man and woman inside.
The two vehicles both swerved to the north shoulder, but still hit head on, according to officers.
All the occupants had seat belts on, but the woman in the Cavalier was still ejected, officers said.
The man and infant in the Cavalier and both people in the Prius died at the scene. The woman in the Cavalier was airlifted to Kern Medical Center.
The woman’s bloody clothes were cut off of her and left on the roadway. The occupants of the Cavalier appeared young, perhaps in their early 20s, an officer said.
The deceased victims remained covered with yellow plastic in the vehicles until the coroner’s staff arrived by mid-afternoon.
“It was a high impact crash,” CHP Lt. Doyle Green said. “The victims died immediately.”
The occupants of the Cavalier are believed to be from Lost Hills or Avenal, according to officers. The Prius was registered in Los Banos, the CHP said.
If the Cavalier family was from Lost Hills, they were within a dozen miles from their home.
The road was expected to remain closed for several hours.
The route — which carries drivers from several South Valley counties to the central coast and the Paso Robles wine region — has long been a challenge for impatient drivers.
Several high-profile crashes have been caused by drivers passing slower traffic at unsafe speeds.
The high death toll from those head-on collisions has earned the highway bloody nicknames and launched campaigns to widen the Kern County portions of the route from two to four lanes.
But this crash wasn’t the fault of the road, said Green, who is commander of the Buttonwillow CHP station.
“There is nothing wrong with this road,” he said at the scene where reporters and Kern County firefighters swatted at pesky yellow jackets that flew around.
“They like to call it Blood Alley, but I don’t call it Blood Alley,” Green said. “Accidents happen anywhere where people don’t drive appropriately.”
He said the stretch where the crash happened is a safe place to pass when there is adequate clearance.
Friday’s crash came just weeks before Caltrans was due to break ground on the first of the widening projects.
Caltrans spokeswoman Holly Vogel said Friday that a Nov. 10 ground-breaking will celebrate the beginning of work on the eight-mile section of road that includes Blackwell’s Corner.
The improvements would run from Brown Material Road near Lost Hills to just west of Highway 33 and would include a signalized intersection at Highway 46 and Highway 33 to control traffic there.
An additional segment of widening, from the Kern County/San Luis Obispo County line to Kecks Road, has already been funded according to the Kern Council of Governments. A third piece, connecting the first two segments, could be funded with in a few months.
Staff writer James Burger contributed to this report
Copyright 2009 The Bakersfield Californian