A 60-year-old Chico man died early Monday morning after his car collided head-on with a truck tractor on Highway 99 north of Chico. The crash happened around 3:18 a.m. on August 31, 2026, on State Route 99 near Broyles Road in unincorporated Butte County. According to the California Highway Patrol, the man was driving a 2019 Nissan Altima northbound when he crossed into the southbound lane for reasons that remain unknown and struck an oncoming 2017 Kenworth truck tractor. Firefighters had to extricate him from the wreckage before he was rushed to Enloe Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead just before 5 a.m. The truck driver, identified as 54-year-old Jose L. Estrada Loza of Anderson, was also involved in the collision.
According to KRCR News, the California Highway Patrol has not released the identity of the Altima driver, and investigators say drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash. The outlet reports that the cause of the lane departure remains under investigation as CHP works to determine why the vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic. Beverly Law extends its condolences to the family and reminds drivers to use extra caution on rural highways overnight. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a highway crash, you don’t pay unless we win.
