The California Highway Patrol is investigating after a pair of deadly early morning crashes on Interstate 5.
The first happened in Merced County at Cottonwood Road just after two a.m. According to CHP, the crash involved a Dodge Caravan and a big rig. When the driver of the dodge, a 57-year-old man, slowed for traffic the big rig driver, identified as 56-year-old Braulio Martinez, failed to slow down.
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According to the CHP, the big rig went into the back of the Dodge pushing it into the center median. The driver and two children of the Dodge; a 10-year-old girl and a 6-year-old girl sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased at the scene. A 6-year-old girl and 19-year-old woman who were also passengers in the Dodge were transported to local hospitals from the scene.
The other fatal crash happened at Shields in Fresno County shortly after 5:00 a.m. CHP officers said that two semi-trucks were stopped due to slow traffic when a third slammed into the back of them. The male driver and a female passenger of the truck that failed to stop died.
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The two deadly crashes caused traffic to stay at a stand-still during much of the morning. The Highway Patrol also reported several smaller crashes in the area due to the heavy traffic.