EMPIRE - A woman living in Hughson was killed in a solo Friday morning crash caused when her pickup drifted off of Santa Fe Avenue and smashed into a large concrete box used for irrigation.
She was identified by the Stanislaus County Coroner's Office as Paula Atchison.
The accident occurred at 6:40 a.m. as the 60-year-old woman was northbound on Santa Fe Avenue in a 1992 Chevy S-10 Blazer. Just south of South Avenue, Atchison lost control of her vehicle and it drifted to the left where she struck the the concrete structure west of the road. The woman died at the scene from her injuries.
The California Highway Patrol said Atchison was seatbelted and was not using a cell phone at the time of the deadly crash. Alcohol was not a factor, they believe.