Lodi News-Sentinel

Six children injured in Highway 99 crash

- By Erin Tracy

Six children in a minivan were injured in a crash on Highway 99 Monday and at least three of them, including the most seriously injured, were not wearing seat belts or in car seats.

There were nine people in the Chrysler minivan — which at most can hold eight — that rear ended a Chevrolet Tahoe at about 45 mph in stop-and-go traffic through Ceres, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash happened just after 1:30 p.m. near Service Road.

The collision remains under investigat­ion to determine who was sitting where and who wasn’t properly restrained but CHP Officer Ming Hsu said investigat­ing officers have preliminar­ily learned the following:

• A 12-year-old boy and 5year-old boy were air lifted to children’s hospitals out of the area. Alexis Martinez, 12, was not wearing a seat belt and suffered a brain injury. It’s unknown if 5-year-old Christophe­r Carmona was in a child safety seat. He suffered a laceration to his head, Hsu said.

• A 2-year-old girl and 10month-old girl also were not in car seats. Hsu said he did not know the extent of 2-year-old Julissa Martinez’s injuries but the baby suffered abrasions.

• Two 8-year-old boys, Jossimar Martinez and Maxamilian­o Marez, were both properly restrained and suffered only minor injuries.

• The driver, 32-year-old Benigno Martinez Diaz, was wearing a seat belt and sustained minor injuries.

It is unknown if two adult women were wearing seat belts, Hsu said. Blanca Marez, 35, suffered a broken leg and jaw and Aurelia Martinez, 30, had minor injuries.

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