August 9, 1999
Web posted at: 1:05 p.m. EDT (1705 GMT)

FIVE POINTS, California (CNN) -- A van carrying 15 farm workers slammed into a double flatbed trailer Monday, killing 13 people and seriously injuring two others.

The driver of the truck was not injured in the accident, which happened just south of the small town of Five Points about 5 a.m., the California Highway Patrol said.

Two injured people were taken by helicopter to University Medical Center in Fresno, 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Five Points. They were a 17-year-old girl in critical condition and a male in serious condition, said Michelle Van Valkenburg, a hospital spokeswoman.

The truck, facing eastbound, was making a U-turn from the right dirt shoulder when the eastbound van's brakes locked as it tried to stop, said California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Erickson.

The van crashed between the truck's front and rear trailers. The tractor-trailer ordinarily hauls produce, but it was empty at the time, he said.

The truck driver was turning his rig around on the road after parking on the shoulder to sleep, said Erickson. Authorities had not determined whether the truck driver was at fault, he said.

"We're not sure if he made a right-of-way violation or not," Erickson said from the CHP's office at Coalinga.

Reuters contributed to this report.