Two brothers, ages 16 and 20, died early Friday on their way to work after being trapped in a burning vehicle on Monterey-Salinas Highway near Spreckels, California Highway Patrol officials said.
The brothers were identified as Marcelino and Aristeo Garcia-Padilla of Salinas. Both were farmworkers.
CHP officials said one of the brothers lost control of their Toyota Celica while driving westbound on the highway at Foster Road. The vehicle spun out of control and traveled onto the eastbound lanes of the highway, directly into the path of a Chevrolet Sonic.
Authorities are looking into the cause of the two-vehicle collision, which led to the Celica catching fire. The 62-year-old driver of the Sonic was seriously injured but is expected to survive.
CHP officer Oscar Loza said it’s not clear why the Celica swerved into oncoming traffic. Both brothers were unconscious when the engine of their vehicle caught fire, and witnesses told police one brother woke up but was unable to escape.
The crash was reported at 5:56 a.m. The vehicle was fully engulfed within minutes.
Loza said the brothers most likely died from smoke inhalation. The other driver is being treated at Natividad Medical Center.
Eastbound traffic was shut down for nearly three hours, and traffic was diverted onto Reservation Road.
It has yet to be determined if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash, but authorities said the brothers were heading to work at an agricultural field.