5 DIE IN HEAD-ON DESERT COLLISION MINIVAN SWERVES INTO ONCOMING LANE; CRASH LEAVES TODDLER ORPHANED.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer

BORON - Four members of a Ridgecrest family died along with a Tustin man in a head-on collision Monday night between the family's minivan and a pickup truck on two-lane Highway 395, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The family's van had drifted into the wrong lane, and when both motorists tried to avoid a collision, they ended up steering into each other, California Highway Patrol officials said.

``Both drivers turned in the same direction and collided head-on,'' CHP Officer Adam Cortinas said.

The family's toddler daughter survived the crash, as did two teenagers in the pickup truck, but the teenagers were badly injured, officials said.

The dead were identified as Ahmad Mukhtar, 36; his wife, Shahnaz Bibi, 36; and their daughters Kanza and Mussarat; plus Juan Zelaya Jr., 25, of Tustin. The girls were 16 and 12, CHP officials said.

CHP officers said they don't know why Mukhtar let the van drift out of its lane. When Zelaya saw the van in his lane, he steered to the right, CHP officers said. Mukhtar also apparently tried to swerve out of the way, but steered to the left instead, officers said.

The crash happened about 8:15 p.m. Monday on Highway 395 about eight miles north of Highway 58. The family's 1999 Dodge Caravan was heading north, and Zelaya's 2002 Chevrolet Silverado was heading south.

The family in the van were all wearing seat belts, and 18-month-old Maryam was strapped into a child seat, officials said. The toddler was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center with a leg injury.

Nobody in the pickup truck was wearing a seat belt, CHP officials said.

Celeste Marquez, 19, of Laguna Hills and a 15-year-old girl, who was not identified, were flown to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. Marquez had multiple fractures. The girl suffered major head trauma.

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Site of fatal crash