CHP identifies woman killed in car crash on Highway 41 near Atascadero

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Police have identified the woman who died after a car crash on Highway 41 near Atascadero earlier this week.

On Friday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol identified the victim as Fresno resident Ruby Arballo, 42, who succumbed to her injuries late Tuesday night.

Arballo was in the passenger seat with driver Jenny Ritter in a black 2003 Mercedes ML500, which was headed southbound on Highway 41 near Rocky Canyon Road east of the Atascadero city limits, the CHP reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, for unknown reasons the vehicle crossed the road and went down a dirt embankment, where it crashed into a concrete drainage wall.

Ritter and Arballo were extricated from the vehicle by first responders and transported to Sierra Vista Adventist Health hospital in San Luis Obispo, where Arballo later died.

Alcohol and drugs were not suspected to have been a factor in the crash, which is under investigation by the CHP.

This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 12:44 PM with the headline "CHP identifies woman killed in car crash on Highway 41 near Atascadero."