Three killed in rural Calif. collision

VISALIA, Calif., Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Three people were killed and six were hurt Tuesday when a van loaded with men headed to work collided head-on with a car on a rural California highway.

The California Highway Patrol told UPI weather did not appear to be a factor in the deadly crash on Highway 99 outside Visalia.

Officer Mark Walker said a 19-year-old woman driving a Honda sedan lost control of her vehicle and swerved into the path of a van carrying eight men who appeared headed to a farm or some other job site in the area.

The woman was killed as were the driver and front passenger in the van, which caught fire a short time after the CHP arrived on the scene.

The injured were taken to hospitals in Visalia and Fresno with injuries ranging from moderate to critical.