Man dies in 4-car collision on Highway 101 near lane closure
A San Luis Obispo resident died in a four-car pileup near a Highway 101 lane closure in Paso Robles on Monday evening, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The name of the person who was killed in the collision has not been released as the CHP is waiting to notify next of kin, the agency said.
The CHP identified the victim of the fatal crash as a 67-year-old San Luis Obispo man.
According to the CHP, Cahleigh Martin, 22, of Templeton was driving at approximately 60 to 65 miles per hour in the second lane of southbound Highway 101 near Spring Street just before 7 p.m. Monday when she merged into the first lane.
The second lane of the highway near the Highway 46 off-ramp in Paso Robles had been closed due to road repairs, according to the CHP, which was monitoring the closure. A detour for southbound Highway 101 traffic had been routed through Paso Robles, the agency said..
Martin looked over her shoulder to make sure she could safely merge into the first lane north of the road closure, according to the CHP.
Once she merged, she saw that traffic in the lane she entered was at a standstill, the CHP said. However, Martin did not have time to react and bring her 2009 Chevrolet Silverado to a stop, according to the agency.
According to the CHP, the Chevrolet crashed into a 2018 GMC Terrain, killing the driver of that vehicle upon impact.
The car Martin crashed into subsequently hit another vehicle, a 2001 Toyota Avalon, which pushed forward into a 2016 Chevorlet Trax, according to the CHP.
The drivers of the Alvalon and the Trax — 35-year-old Camarillo resident Louie Bellen and 69-year-old Fountain Valley resident Ralph Buckner, respectively — were reportedly uninjured.
Martin suffered minor injuries, according to the CHP. She was not arrested.
According to the CHP, Martin was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and distracted driving did not appear to be a factor.
