CHP identifies woman killed by falling excavator on HWY 101

NIPOMO, Calif. – A Nipomo woman who was killed when a construction excavator fell onto her car has been identified.

According to the California Highway Patrol, she is Pyong Yun Song, 60, from Nipomo.

On Wednesday at around 4:10 p.m., the driver of a semi-truck, a 62-year-old Arroyo Grande man, was driving northbound on Highway 101 south of Willow Road.

The semi-truck driver was towing a trailer that was loaded with an excavator.

The semi-truck's right-front tire blew out and the driver lost control of the truck. The truck then traveled off the road edge of Highway 101 and struck a metal guard rail. The excavator then came off the trailer and fell down onto the Willow Road off-ramp.

During that time, Song was driving in her 2008 Cadillac Escalade on Highway 101 northbound and was stopped on the Willow Road off-ramp.

A third driver, a 53-year-old Glendale woman driving a Mazda, was also stopped on the Willow Road off-ramp directly in front of the Cadillac.

The excavator fell off the trailer and onto the Cadillac, killing Song on impact.

Some debris also fell onto the Mazda car but the driver was not injured.

The driver of the semi-truck had complaints of pain.

Anyone who witnessed this collision is urged to contact CHP Officer Mallory at 805-594-8700.