Four people killed in head-on collision near Don Pedro Reservoir identified by CHP
All four people killed in a two-vehicle collision near Don Pedro Reservoir on Friday, including a former Modesto Bee employee, were identified by the California Highway Patrol on Monday morning. Additional crash details also were released.
Stockton resident Michael Keith, 56, Salida resident Cindi Schuchterman, 65, Modesto resident Donna Yarnal, 66, and La Grange resident Janelle Hall, 33, all died at the scene of the collision.
Yarnal was a former Modesto Bee employee, who started working for the newspaper’s ad services department around 1979, according to a Facebook comment by a friend and former colleague.
Those who knew her left comments on a post announcing Yarnal’s death in a Facebook public group titled “Bee Gals.” The posts described Yarnal as “an incredible kindhearted person,” “incredibly precious” and having a “wonderful sense of humor and fun.”
“I have so many happy memories of Donna; she had such a wonderful sense of humor (Being Marge Simpson for Halloween). She was honest and sincere. I was shocked to read this notice. My sincere condolences to her family,” wrote Facebook user Vick Strickland.
“Donna was really a bright light to anyone who knew her, always lighthearted and willing to pitch in. We would joke about our quilting skills. She was a wonderful human being and she will truly be missed,” wrote Margaret Powell.
For Hall, a GoFundMe page was started to support her family and cover burial expenses.
“In memory of our beloved Janelle, a loving mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend, we are coming together to support her family during this difficult time,” read the page’s description, written by its organizer Romy Walton. “We are raising funds to assist Cory, Bailey, and Joseph as they navigate life without Janelle’s love and strength.”
The page had raised $7,800 of its $25,000 goal as of early Monday afternoon.
The Bee found little on Facebook about Schuchterman. She posted in January 2020 that she had opened a tax-preparation business on Coffee Road in Modesto, and daughter Sarah Schuchterman commented, “After almost 40 years with H&R Block, we finally talked my Mom into opening her own office!”
On Keith’s page, the family simply requested privacy and it grieves and awaits more information.
Keith was driving a 2020 Chevrolet 1500 pickup north on Bonds Flat Road when he unlawfully passed another vehicle over double-yellow lines in excess of 100 miles per hour, a CHP release read. Schuchterman and Yarnal were his passengers.
He collided head-on with the 2005 Toyota Highlander, driven by Hall, that was going in the opposite direction at about 45 miles per hour.
“Due to the extreme speed of (Keith’s) vehicle, neither of the drivers (were) able to brake or make an effective evasive maneuver in time,” read CHP’s release.
Everyone involved in the collision were wearing their seat belts at the time of the collision and all airbags in both vehicles deployed.
Both vehicles came to rest on their wheels with their front end embedded into each other straddling the southbound lane and west shoulder of Bonds Flat Road.
As of late Monday morning, it had not been determined if drugs or alcohol were a factor and the collision was still under investigation.
