LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – One man was killed and two other people were injured in a head-on collision on Saturday afternoon east of Clearlake Oaks.
Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the man who died was Kenneth Kub Xiong, 19, of Stockton.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said the fatal wreck occurred on Highway 20 near Walker Ridge Road at 1:20 p.m. Saturday.
The CHP said Xiong was driving his 1996 Honda Civic westbound, just west of Walker Ridge Road, at an unknown speed.
At the same time, Nina Watanabe, 65, of Elk Grove was driving her 2015 Toyota Tacoma eastbound in the same area at approximately 50 miles per hour, within the No. 2 lane. Riding as her passenger was 75-year-old James Darke of Sacramento, the CHP said.
The CHP said that, due to Xiong’s unsafe speed for the wet conditions, his vehicle lost traction with the roadway, causing it to cross over the solid double yellow lines and into the eastbound lane, directly in front of Watanabe.
Watanabe attempted to brake and steer her Toyota to the right, however, the CHP she was unable to avoid a head-on collision with Xiong’s Honda.
Both vehicles came to rest in the roadway, blocking all lanes of Highway 20, which was closed for an extended period of time as firefighters and CHP officers worked at the scene, based on radio reports.
Watanabe and her passenger, Darke, both of whom were wearing their seat belts, sustained major injuries and were transported by ambulance to Adventist Health Clear Lake, the CHP said.
The CHP said Xiong, who also was using his seat belt, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the collision scene by medical personnel.
Neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected of being factors in this collision, the CHP said.
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One dead, two injured in Saturday head-on wreck
- Elizabeth Larson
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