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California Highway Patrol Officer Josh Dye said Monday that Kelly Mankinen, 38, and Brian Quinlan, 52, both of Clearlake, died in the collision, which took place Sunday at about 5:40 a.m. on Highway 29, south of St. Helena Lane.
Mankinen was driving a 1999 Volkswagen Cabrio northbound on Highway 29 at an unknown speed, according to the CHP. Traveling southbound was Quinlan in a 2002 Honda Accord.
Mankinen's vehicle drifted to the left across the double-yellow lines and into the southbound traffic lane, causing the two vehicles to hit head-on, Dye said.
Both Mankinen and Quinlan were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP. Both had been wearing their safety belts.
Just what caused the collision isn't known at this point, said Dye. “It could have really been anything at this point.”
Because it was early morning, Dye said Mankinen could have been tired and fell asleep, losing control of the vehicle and causing it to cross into the other lane.
Dye said the investigation is continuing.
Sunday's crash is the 13th fatal auto collision to take place on the county's roads this year, said Dye. In those 13 collisions, 16 people have died.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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The two-vehicle accident occurred at about 5:40 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol incident logs. One vehicle had reportedly rolled over and another was reported to be close to catching on fire.
A report from the Ukiah CHP Dispatch Center said that Highway 29 just north of Middletown was shut down because of the collision, with traffic rerouted onto Highway 175 through Cobb. The CHP logs said that traffic was shut down from Butts Canyon Road to St. Helena Road.
Officers confirmed two deaths at the scene at approximately 6:10 a.m., according to the logs. The Coroner's Office was en route to the scene later in the morning.
CHP's Ukiah Dispatch Center confirmed the two deaths at noon Sunday.
Caltrans was notified to activate signs warning of the collision, with a towing service also called to remove the vehicles.
CHP reported that both lanes of the highway were reopened to traffic by 11:47 a.m.
Lake County News will publish an update as soon as more information is available.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
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