NEWMAN — Two men were killed early Monday when a van crashed into a stopped tractor‑trailer on Interstate 5 near Newman, a fatal collision that occurred as traffic slowed for an earlier Westside wreck involving a Gustine woman arrested on suspicion of DUI, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The first crash happened at about 11:50 p.m. Sunday, when 57‑year‑old Nancy Cortes Flores of Gustine was driving a 2013 Honda sedan at a high rate of speed and rear‑ended a Chevrolet Equinox on southbound I‑5 north of Stuhr Road, according to the CHP. After the impact, Flores and her passenger, 43‑year‑old Felix Antonio Ruiz, exited the Honda and walked into the center median. The damaged Honda remained in the left lane facing the wrong direction.
As motorists attempted to avoid the disabled vehicle, it was struck by multiple cars, including a Toyota Camry and a Nissan SUV. The Nissan overturned after leaving the roadway, sending five occupants to hospitals with minor injuries…