Three killed in separate Reno-area collisions

RENO - Three people were killed in separate head-on collisions in the Reno area, authorities said.

A crash late Friday in Sparks killed two people and left a man in jail on suspicion of drunken driving.

And an accident Friday on Nevada Route 431 just south of Reno claimed the life of a man.

Douglas Ponton, 62, of Sparks, was booked into the Washoe County Jail on DUI charges after the accident in Sparks.

Ponton was eastbound on East Prater Way at Parlanti Drive when he drifted into oncoming lanes and struck another vehicle, police said.

Both people in the other vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names were not released, but the driver was identified as a 60-year-old Santa Ana, Calif., man and his passenger as a 41-year-old Carson City woman.

Ponton was arrested after being treated and released at Washoe Medical Center. He has no prior history of drunken driving, police said.

Meanwhile, Fernando Guzman-Martinez, 27, of Incline Village, died Friday night at Washoe Med following the crash on Route 431, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

A preliminary investigation shows a pickup driven by Brittania L. Todd, 23, of Incline Village was eastbound when she drifted off the roadway, over-corrected and collided with the victim's oncoming vehicle.

Todd suffered serious injuries and was taken to Washoe Med.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the 10:45 a.m. accident, Trooper Chuck Allen said.

The accident shut down the highway linking Reno and Lake Tahoe's north shore for about 45 minutes.

Both accidents remain under investigation.