A mid-afternoon three-vehicle collision at Bentley and Patterson roads between Oakdale and Riverbank resulted in two deaths and left two other people with major injuries.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash occurred about 2:25 p.m. when a 20027 Honda driven by Ruth Rancano, 56, of Modesto was northbound on Bentley Road approaching the intersection with Patterson Road. At the same time, a 45-year-old Waterford man, identified as Eliseo Zapien, was eastbound on Patterson Road approaching Bentley in a 2018 Chevrolet. The third vehicle, a 2017 Volkswagen, was westbound on Patterson, driven by Kellie Content, 31, of Modesto, approaching Bentley.

The CHP investigation determined that Rancano failed to stop for the posted stop sign at the intersection and drove directly into the path of Zapien’s vehicle. The front end of Rancano’s car struck the right side of Zapien’s Chevrolet and both those vehicles continued northeast, out of control, where they collided with the front end and left side of Content’s vehicle. The Volkswagen overturned as a result of the impact and all three vehicles came to rest off the roadway, north of Patterson Road and east of Bentley.

Rancano and Content both sustained fatal injuries as a result of the crash, according to the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office; the CHP report indicates Rancano was not wearing safety equipment at the time of the crash while Content was using her safety equipment. Zapien sustained major injures in the crash and a passenger in Content’s vehicle, identified as Natalie Camacho, 31, of Modesto, also suffered major injuries. Both Zapien and Camacho were using their safety equipment and both were transported to Memorial Medical Center for treatment.