Details Released About Hwy 1 Crash That Killed 2 Near Moss Landing

MONTEREY COUNTY - A 42-year-old man was killed in a collision Saturday when he tried to pass up a vehicle and collided into another car heading the opposite direction on state Highway 1 in unincorporated Monterey County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The man, a Santa Cruz resident, was driving a 2002 GMC Sierra around 11:15 p.m. on northbound Highway 1 south of Jensen Road near Moss Landing, where he crossed the roadway's solid double yellow lines to pass up a car, CHP officials said.

He ended up in a head-on collision with a southbound 2010 Buick Enclave driven by a Watsonville woman, according to the CHP.

Emergency crews were called to the scene and pronounced both drivers dead at the scene, CHP officials said.

Also on Patch: Santa Cruz Man, Watsonville Woman Killed In Head-On Crash

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office didn't immediately return a request for the names of the two people who died.

Four Watsonville girls were inside the Buick and were transported to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose with moderate injuries.

The girls ranged between 7 and 14 years old, CHP officials said.

Investigators are looking into whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the collision.

The accident closed the highway in both directions between Dolan and Salinas roads for about four-and-a-half hours, according to the CHP.

-Bay City News, image via ShutterStock