Santa Margarita resident dies in head-on collision
Collision caused by vehicle losing traction on wet roads
–Joni Kinkel, a 54-year-old Santa Margarita resident, lost her life in an accident that occurred Sunday on Parkhill Road south of Seven Oaks Ranch in rural Santa Margarita, according to a California Highway Patrol report. 
The accident occurred at 12 p.m. on Sunday in cloudy and wet weather conditions. Melvin Fuentes Ruano, a 20-year-old San Luis Obispo resident was driving a 1992 Honda Prelude and Kinkel was driving a 2005 Dodge Status. The roadway was wet from a recent rain, and Ruano’s Honda lost traction as it traversed a curve. He lost control of his Honda, which traveled into the southbound lane and collided with Kinkel’s Dodge, the report says. The resulting head-on collision left both vehicles with major collision damage.
Kinkel succumbed to her injuries at the collision scene. Ruano received moderate injuries and was transported to Sierra Vista hospital.
According to Officer Patrick Seebart, some reports say that one of the cars was competing in a street race at the time of the collision. “From what I understand from the investigating officer, that is not true,” said Seebart. “There is a group of cars that like to go out on those roads and race, but it does not appear that it was happening at that time. The investigation is ongoing…”
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