Ralston Road, Siskiyou County — A routine Wednesday morning commute turned into a scene of coordinated chaos on March 4 when a Siskiyou County work van swerved into oncoming traffic, triggering a violent head-on collision that injured five people—including three children—and required a massive emergency response to a rural stretch of County Road A-12.
The crash occurred at approximately 9:25 a.m. at the intersection of A-12 and Ralston Road, just as dispatchers at the Yreka Communications Center began fielding multiple frantic 9-1-1 calls reporting a serious collision between a gold 2015 Ford Transit Van and a blue 2022 Ford Escape.
According to witness statements gathered by California Highway Patrol officers on scene, the Transit van—operated by a Siskiyou County employee traveling eastbound at roughly 55 mph—abruptly crossed the center line and slammed head-on into the westbound Escape, driven by a 26-year-old Montague woman who was also traveling at highway speed.
The impact was immediate and severe.
Before emergency crews arrived, witnesses and passing motorists stopped to render aid to the injured occupants. Within minutes, the rural intersection transformed into a staging ground for a full-scale emergency response, drawing personnel from CHP Yreka, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, Cal Fire Siskiyou, South Yreka Fire Protection District, Grenada Fire Protection District, Mt. Shasta Ambulance, and the Klamath National Forest Service.
Emergency crews determined that one child sustained major injuries, another suffered minor injuries, and a third child miraculously escaped unscathed. All five victims were transported to Fairchild Medical Center for treatment.
Investigators noted a critical factor that likely prevented fatalities: proper restraint use. All three children were secured in age-appropriate child safety seats, while both adult drivers were belted at the time of impact.
The cause of the Transit van’s sudden lane departure remains under investigation.
