Driver sideswipes parked big rig on South Carpenter and sends SUV into roll


A 17-year-old Patterson girl died and her six passengers were injured Friday morning after she lost control of a sport utility vehicle on South Carpenter Road. It rolled several times and came to rest on its top in west Modesto, police said.

Yesenia Zarate was driving the Chevrolet Tahoe and was pinned inside when emergency responders arrived, Modesto police said. After she was pulled out, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The passengers were taken by ambulance to Modesto hospitals for treatment. Their names were not available Friday night.

Five of the passengers were wearing seat belts. The sixth was not and was ejected from the SUV, officer Michael Amarillas, a police spokesman, said. The passengers' injuries were not life-threatening, he added.

The single-vehicle accident occurred about 6:40 a.m. on South Carpenter Road, between California Avenue and Maze Boulevard.

Amarillas said it appeared the Tahoe was traveling north at a high rate of speed. As the vehicle went through the intersection at California Avenue, the Tahoe drifted off the road and its passenger-side mirror hit a big-rig trailer parked along the east side of the road.

The driver overcorrected and lost control, Amarillas said. The Tahoe hit a tree on the east side of the road and rolled several times before landing on its top.

When police arrived, officers found the Tahoe in shrubs on the shoulder of the road, Ama- rillas said.

There were no indications that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the accident, he said.

Police closed this portion of the road for a few hours until the department's Traffic Unit officers completed their preliminary investigation.

Modesto police ask anyone with information about this crash to call officer Nathaniel Kutcher at 572-9591.

Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada can be reached at rahumada@modbee.com or 578-2394.