CA Fire Captain Dies in Head-On Crash

Oct. 2, 2019
Capt. Paul Rotondaro with CAL FIRE in Merced County was among two drivers killed in a head-on highway collision Wednesday morning.

Two people, including a CAL FIRE Merced County fire captain, died in a traffic crash on Highway 140 near the Gustine airport, according to California Highway Patrol.

The firefighter was identified by CAL FIRE as Capt. Paul Rotondaro.

CHP Los Banos officers at about 7 a.m. Wednesday responded to the collision on Highway 140, west of Old Santa Fe Grade, east of the Gustine airport, according to CHP.

A Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by a man in his mid-30s was traveling west on Highway 140 behind a Ford Crown Victoria sedan, CHP Los Banos Officer Shannon Stiers said.

The Dodge driver tried passing the Ford Crown Victoria in a broken yellow line passing zone on the two-lane road, Stiers said. But the Dodge slammed head-on into a Ford Ranger heading east on Highway 140.

The Dodge overturned and ended up south of the roadway, Stiers said, while the Ford Ranger spun out and stopped in the westbound lane of traffic before catching fire.

Rotondaro was the driver of the Ford Ranger, Stiers said. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Ford Crown Victoria also sustained damage from the collision. But the male driver and female passenger of the vehicle declined treatment for minor injuries.

The collision caused traffic to back up on Highway 140 and Highway 33 as lanes were closed.

Rotondaro was assigned to Calfire’s Gustine fire station and recently advocated for a new fire truck in Gustine, according to the Gustine Press-Standard.

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©2019 the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.)

Visit the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.) at www.mercedsunstar.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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