Woman who died after driving into water tanker on Highway 198 identified
The woman killed in rush-hour traffic has been identified.
Detectives said Zada Lynn Yaryan, 79, died Tuesday afternoon when the Toyota Corolla she was driving collided with the backend of a parked Caltrans water truck.
The truck was alongside the highway watering plants to avoid using sprinklers.
Yaryan was removed from her car after more than two hours in the 106-degree heat. California Highway Patrol and firefighters used the Jaws of Life to remove parts of the car and unhinge the car's doors.
During an autopsy, detectives identified the woman, but old information made it hard to find the woman's family or current address. Tulare County sheriff's detectives eventually asked the public for help in locating the woman's family or hometown.
Around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, detectives announced they'd found the woman's family and notified them of her death.
The cause of the collision hasn't been released, and detectives did not say if the woman suffered from medical conditions that may have led to the wreck.
There were no other injuries reported. Motorists passing by said the water truck left little room for error on 198 but wasn't sticking out into traffic heading east.
Eastbound traffic was limited to one lane from 4 p.m. to after 6 p.m. At one point, CHP pace cars led traffic as far west as Plaza Drive through the traffic heading east.
Officers had to use a bullhorn during the incident, yelling, "Just drive and stop looking!"
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Woman who died in Highway 198 water tanker collision identified
