CHP identifies woman killed in big-rig crash at notorious Highway 101 intersection – MASHAHER

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Update, 4 p.m.:

California Highway Patrol confirmed that Paso Robles resident Brianna Mae Thomas, 27, was killed in a car crash on Highway 101 on Wednesday afternoon.

The collision occurred 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, when Thomas turned onto northbound Highway 101 from Wellsona Road, according to a CHP news release.

At the same time, 44-year-old Justin Levi Adams of Pahrump, Nevada, was driving a big rig northbound on the highway in the second lane, the release said.

The release said Thomas did not yield to the right-of-way of the truck and drove directly into Adams’ path.

The big rig did not have time to slow or stop, subsequently hitting the right front door of Thomas’s car, the release said.

Following the crash, her car came to a rest in the left lane and partially within the center divider north of Wellsona Road, the release said. The big rig stopped on the east shoulder of the highway just north of Wellsona Road.

CHP spokesperson Pat Seebart said it is unknown if drugs and or alcohol played a roll in this crash. Investigation is ongoing.

Original story:

Another fatal car crash has occurred at a notoriously deadly intersection on Highway 101, according to California Highway Patrol.

On Wednesday afternoon, the CHP Templeton office responded to a crash between a big rig and and a white SUV at the Wellsona Road intersection between Paso Robles and San Miguel, according to the CHP Traffic Incident Information page and Officer Patrick Seebart.

At least one person died in the crash.

The crash occurred just before 12:15 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 near the Wellsona Truck Stop intersection, where 6 people died in collisions between 2012 and 2016, spurring plans to build an underpass at the site.

Crash Location on Highway 101

This map shows the location of a fatal crash at the Wellsona Road intersection on Highway 101.

Map created with the assistance of ChatGPT.

Debris from the crash was at least partially blocking traffic lanes, according to the CHP.

A witness calling police from the truck stop said one lane of the highway was potentially blocked by a vehicle, but they reportedly did not have good visibility of the crash, according to the information page.

Twenty minutes after the crash, it was reported on the page that diesel from the big rig had spilled onto the highway shoulder.

By 1:08 p.m. the spill had been stopped and contained, according to traffic incident reports.