Crash victims identified

Authorities on Wednesday released the names of three people who died in a vehicle wreck in northern Colusa County.

The California Highway Patrol said Rachelle L. Tank, 24, of Thousand Palms was killed Tuesday when her 2003 Nissan Sentra sedan was struck by a minivan at an Interstate 5 exit ramp to old Highway 99W.

Two Yuba City residents riding in the 1989 Ford Aerostar also died in the crash. The CHP identified them as Martina P. Soto, 27, and Juan A. Martinez, 25. Neither victim was wearing a seat belt, the agency said.

Martinez and Soto, who were among the van's eight occupants, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Seven people — six of them from Yuba City - were injured in the accident.

A passenger in Tank's car, Chris Acalinas, 22, of Sky Valley, was taken to Enloe Medical Center in Chico, the CHP said. Acalinas was treated in the emergency room and released Wednesday, an Enloe nursing supervisor said.

Edwin Rodriguez, a Yuba City man at the wheel of the van, also was airlifted to Enloe, as were two of his passengers. THe CHP on Wednesday identified one of them as Ermilla Real, also of Yuba City.

Rodriguez was listed in fair condition Wednesday night. An Enloe spokeswoman had no record of Real's presence there.

Norma Perez of Yuba City, another passenger in the van, remained at U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento in good condition. Three other van occupants were treated at Colusa Regional Medical Center, and all had been released by Wednesday.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Howard Yune at 458-2121 or hyune@appealdemocrat.com.