Regional Roundup

A man and a woman who had planned to kayak from the Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery east of Clements were stranded Saturday on a sand barge in the middle of the Mokelumne River north of Ditch Road, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department.

The couple, who had left the fish hatchery at 2 p.m. for Lodi, got stuck in the sand barge. They created a bonfire so that emergency crews could see them at night, said sheriff's spokesman Les Garcia.

California Highway Patrol officers from Sacramento County found them from a helicopter shortly before 11:30 p.m. Both victims were airlifted one at a time to the fish hatchery, Garcia said.

Two die in Highway 12 crash

Two Sonoma County residents were killed in a head-on collision that closed Highway 12 east of Tower Park Marina for two hours Saturday night, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Names of those killed in the accident were not available Sunday night, said San Joaquin County Sheriff's spokesman Les Garcia.

Four other people were injured, with three of them taken to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento Sunday night.

The accident took place at 9:10 p.m., when Sarita S. Singh, 30, of Sacramento, and a 22-year Healdsburg man whose identity was not disclosed, crashed head on, according to a CHP report. It wasn't known which car swerved into the path of the other car.

The driver of a 1994 Toyota Tercel and a 34-year-old man, also from Healdsburg, were killed, according to the CHP. A second passenger in the Tercel, David Sierra, 20, of Healdsburg, suffered a fractured pelvis and was air lifted to UC Davis, where he was in critical condition Sunday night, according to a nursing supervisor.

Singh and two others in a 2003 Hyundai Elantra were also injured. Singh was taken to Lodi Memorial Hospital with a broken right foot, knee and wrist. She was transferred to UC Davis, where she was in good condition Sunday night, a nursing supervisor said. A passenger, Kusum Prasad, 39, of Suisun City, was in serious condition at UC Davis with a fractured ankle and sternum, the nursing supervisor said. A 2-year-old boy from Sacramento was taken to Lodi Memorial Hospital with cuts and bruises, according to the CHP.

Alcohol or drugs may have been a factor in the collision, according to the CHP.

Lane closures on I-5 in Stockton

Caltrans will close various lanes on southbound Interstate 5 between March Lane and the Stockton Deep Water Channel all week, beginning Monday.

The first phase will cover March Lane to Alpine Road, followed by work between Alpine Road and Monte Diablo Avenue. The final phase will be from Monte Diablo Avenue to the Deep Water Channel.

Motorists can expect 15-minute delays.

Highway 88 now open

You can now get to the Lake Tahoe area from Highway 88. Caltrans workers removed the snow and cleared debris on the mountain highway. It was opened Friday morning.

For more information, call the road condition hotline at (800) 427-7623 or visit http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi.

Reader Feedback

stkngirl19 wrote on Mar 26, 2007 5:38 PM:

" To agree...I'm under the impression parts of highway 12 can't accomodate a median. "

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stkngirl19 wrote on Mar 25, 2007 10:15 AM:

" To Agree..When I was talking about the teenage drivers I was mostly talking about the general lack of respect kids have for driving these days, not the situation on 12. I was talking about the hyphy movement, ghost riding the whip, and the recent street racing incident on West Lane that killed three teenagers. These things are kind of hard to blame on 40-60 year olds, wouldn't you say? "

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agree wrote on Mar 25, 2007 1:39 AM:

" AGREE!!!! "And don't try to blame it on young kids, I was passed many times by 40-60yr olds. This road needs a median, period!" Stkngirl9 needs to get a CLUE!!!!! "

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stkngirl19 wrote on Mar 24, 2007 8:21 PM:

" To stkngirl9..They won't change until their held accountable. We have plenty of laws on the books, we just need to enforce them. Cops need to start impounding cars, judges need to stop reducing or dismissing charges, insurance companies need to raise rates so high people can't afford to buy insurance. Repeat offenders should lose their license. Traffic school shouldn't be an option. We need to get serious about it but its hard to when our court system is full of bigger issues. "

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Hey stkngirl9 wrote on Mar 23, 2007 6:02 PM:

" when do you think these people will change and drive better so I can use the highway 12? sorry sista. some people don't change without being made to change. "

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Dan wrote on Mar 20, 2007 6:46 AM:

" quote the story: "The couple, who had left the fish hatchery at 2 p.m. for Lodi, got stuck in the sand barge." The SAND BARGE? "

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sam wrote on Mar 19, 2007 6:28 PM:

" Whoa, I agree 100%. If you are a great driver and some one screws up, you are dead... no shoulders, no medians, not escapes. The road needs massive improvements. I refuse to drive on it. "

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GoBs wrote on Mar 19, 2007 6:20 PM:

" Stkngirl19 you are absolutly 100% right. People - slow down and pay attention, the life you save may be your own!!!!!! "

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Whoa Nellie! wrote on Mar 19, 2007 4:44 PM:

" I drove Hwy 12 between Lodi & Fairfield about 5 days a month for a few years, ending just a few years ago. That road is a death trap! Even if your driving defensively there are drainage ditches along both sides of the road, with no shoulder area. And don't try to blame it on young kids, I was passed many times by 40-60yr olds. This road needs a median, period! "

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stkngirl19 wrote on Mar 19, 2007 4:06 PM:

" It will change when people stop drinking and driving, street racing, getting hyphy, ghost riding the whip, talking on the phone, putting on make up, reading the paper, shaving, blowing through stop signs, passing unsafely, tailgating, running stop lights, etc........... "

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Lodian wrote on Mar 19, 2007 10:24 AM:

" MrsH511993: We are all only minutes away from a serious accident on this road. I may take on Lt. Barry's idea and stop driving on this road all together. When a person in law enforcement tells you he doesn't drive on this road anymore, I think we should heed the warning. "

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Lodian wrote on Mar 19, 2007 10:22 AM:

" Here it is! I was wondering where the news was about this accident. This should have been in a more predominant place, but alas...I am not the editor! This is heartbreaking. When will this change? Those of you that still feel that this road does not need immediate attention in regards to safety measures so we can all be more safe on this road...have you changed your mind yet? "

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MrsH511993 wrote on Mar 19, 2007 8:38 AM:

" If my family and I were 5 minutes ahead of schedule saturday night it may have been us, we came up on the scene about 15 cars back and saw a fire, I thank God for his keeping my family and I safe,and I pray for the families that lost a loved one and for a speedy recovery for the injured. We can't allow impatience or just plain stupidity to allow that hwy and those on it to keep claiming the lives of our neighbors and family members. "

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