The driver killed Saturday in a Highway 99 crash near Merced has been identified as Frankie Bearden, 44, of Livingston, according to Daryl Allen, Merced County coroner spokesperson.
California Highway Patrol officers responded to the collision just before 3 a.m. Saturday in the northbound lanes of Highway 99 near Mission Avenue.
According to the CHP, Bearden was driving a 2020 Jeep Cherokee when she collided with a garbage truck causing the car to spin and come to a stop in the No. 2 lane.
The Cherokee was then struck by a big rig hauling two trailers. That driver was unable to see the SUV according to the CHP.
The collision resulted in Bearden, who was not wearing a seat belt, to be thrown from the vehicle.
Authorities said Bearden was pronounced dead at the scene. A 61-year-old female passenger in the Jeep was taken by helicopter to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto with moderate injuries, according to the CHP.
(originally published Updated December 07, 2020 - https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/article247679780.html)