The names of those killed and injured last week in a wrong-way collision on Highway 101 near Santa Maria were released Monday by the California Highway Patrol.
William Dixon Jr., 57, of Hastings, Nebraska, was driving a Chevy Silverado pickup with a camper northbound in the southbound lanes shortly before 1 p.m. Friday when he collided head-on with a Ford Aspire driven by William Cole, 71, of Nipomo, the CHP said.
Dixon was fatally injured and declared dead at the scene, the CHP said.
Cole suffered major injuries, as did his passenger, Paulette Cole, 70, of Nipomo, the CHP said.
Both were taken to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, where William Cole later died, the CHP said.
Details on Paulette Cole’s condition were not available Monday.
The Silverado entered the freeway headed the wrong way at the Broadway southbound exit from Highway 101, the CHP said.
The southbound freeway lanes were shut down for nearly three hours just north of Santa Maria as a result of the crash.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
