1 dead, 4 injured in head-on Highway 101 crash in Mendocino County

A 29-year-old Covelo man died and four others were injured Sunday in a head-on crash on Highway 101 in Mendocino County, the California Highway Patrol said.

The crash happened around 11 a.m. north of the Ridgewood Scale Facility, on a stretch of the highway that traverses a sparsely populated area between Ukiah and Willits, the CHP said.

The man was driving north in a 2000 Acura Integra when “for unknown reasons” he crossed over the double yellow lines separating traffic and collided with a 2009 Dodge Ram heading in the opposite direction, the CHP said in a news release.

Both vehicles were going about 70 mph when they collided at the front driver’s sides. The Dodge hit a guardrail and flipped over, while the Acura stopped on the southbound side of the highway, according to authorities.

The driver of the Dodge, a 29-year-old Olivehurst woman, had major injuries. Her three passengers, ages 9, 7 and 4, all from Olivehurst, had minor injuries. The four of them were taken to Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits, the CHP said.

The 29-year-old man was pulled from the Acura and pronounced dead. His name is being withheld until relatives are notified, the CHP said.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. Officials said drugs or alcohol were not a factor in the crash.

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Pera at matthew.pera@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Matt__Pera.