Shifting load of hay bales crushes car in fatal, multi-vehicle crash

A woman was crushed by a hay bale on Tuesday morning after a semi truck’s load shifted, dislodging the 1,200 pound bale. 

The accident occurred on November 10th at around 10:45 a.m. near Ingot, California northeast of Redding.

According to the California Highway Patrol, 42-year-old truck driver Benjamin Zuniga-Garcia was driving west on a curved portion of Highway 299 when his load shifted, dislodging six hay bales from the flatbed trailer. 

The six 1,200 pound hay bales fell off the flatbed and landed in the eastbound lane of Highway 299, crushing a nearby Honda and striking a Subaru and a Dodge pickup. The force of the impact also sent the Honda crashing into a van. The Honda driver was pronounced dead on scene.

The woman killed in the incident has not yet been identified pending notification of next of kin. Only minor injuries were sustained by the other drivers involved in the incident, including Zuniga-Garcia. 

The incident is still under investigation.