Two die in fiery head-on Highway 101 crash near Willits

Two drivers were killed early Friday and five people injured when their vehicles slammed head-on into each other, bursting into flames on Highway 101 north of Willits, according to the CHP.

The toll could have been far worse. A good Samaritan helped the injured passengers escape from the wreckage as the fire began to spread, CHP officials said.

Driver impairment is suspected and may have contributed to the accident, according to the CHP.

The accident happened about 12:30 a.m. Friday on Highway 101, just north of Reynolds Highway. A 1994 Ford Bronco heading north crossed over double-yellow lines directly into the path of a southbound 2008 Dodge Ram carrying six people, the CHP said.

Both drivers were trapped inside the vehicles immediately after the fiery crash and were pronounced dead at the scene.

As the flames grew, an unidentified person helped five people get out of the Dodge.

Four of the passengers in the Dodge were from Eureka: Rosa A. Delgado, 43; Gilberto Delgado, 24; Anajelica Delgado, 19; and Natalie Grace Delgado, 1, according to the CHP. A fifth passenger, Jacob Douglas Clifford, 7, is from Fortuna.

The injured were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial and Howard Memorial hospitals. The Fortuna boy suffered minor injuries while the others were being treated for major injuries, the CHP said.

The name of the male driver of the Dodge, from Eureka, was withheld late Friday until his family could be notified, the CHP said.

Investigators also withheld the name of the Bronco driver until they could confirm the driver’s identity. The CHP declined to say which driver was impaired.