An 85-year-old man from Oakdale and a 67-year-old man from Modesto have been identified as the victims in a fatal two-car collision on Thursday, March 26.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department coroners division identified the men as Robert Rose of Oakdale and Gregory Crovo from Modesto.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash occurred shortly before 7 a.m. on March 26.
Crovo was driving a 2004 Pontiac eastbound on Highway 108 and Rose was westbound in a 2015 Nissan. Both vehicles were approaching Atlas Road when, for an unknown reason, Crovo’s vehicle spun out of control. The coupe began rotating in a counterclockwise direction.
“It entered the westbound traffic lane into the path of a 2015 Nissan sedan,” CHP Public Information Officer Tom Olsen explained.
The cars impacted violently, Olsen added, with the front of the Nissan striking the right side of the Pontiac. The impact caused the Pontiac to split in half at the rear passenger compartment.
“Both drivers were the only occupants of their vehicle and both succumbed to their injuries at the scene,” Olsen said. “It’s worth noting that the driver of the (Nissan) Sentra was not wearing their seatbelt at the time of the collision … seatbelts, when worn properly, have the ability to save lives and if he had been wearing his, it possibly could have saved his life.”
The roadway was shut down for a few hours during the emergency response and investigative effort. Caltrans responded to the scene and directed traffic through the area with minimal delay.