CHP investigates head-on collision that killed two girls, two adults Tuesday

An investigation is under way today into a head-on collision west of Santa Ysabel that killed two adults and two children and sent five other people to the hospital.

The accident on state Route 78 near the intersection with state Route 79 occurred about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A 33-year-old San Diego woman was driving a Honda Odyssey with a 67-year-old female passenger and six children in the back ranging in age from 3 to 13, CHP Officer Brian Pennings said. They were headed east on state Route 78 when the vehicle collided head on with a 2010 Pontiac Vibe being driven west by a Santa Ana man, Pennings said.

Both drivers were killed, along with an 8-year-old girl and a 9-year-old girl, Pennings said. All four died at the scene, he said.

A 6-year-old girl suffered major, possibly life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized along with a 3-year-old boy, an 8-year-old boy and a 13- year-old girl who suffered moderate to minor injuries, Pennings said late Tuesday.

The van’s front seat passenger, a San Diego woman who is the vehicle’s registered owner, was also taken to a hospital with major injuries, Pennings said.

Three of the injured were flown to a hospital and the others were taken by ground ambulance, according to Capt. Mike Mohler of Cal Fire.

Both eastbound and westbound state Route 78 were closed two miles west of state Route 79 for several hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The victims’ names were not immediately released.