A collision between a passenger vehicle and a semi-truck in Fresno County resulted in the deaths of all five men from the passenger vehicle and the single occupant (the driver) of the big rig. The death toll in the West Fresno truck crash, while unusually high, is not uncommon for California truck accidents. It was one of many semi-truck accidents in the area in the recent weeks, including four in the Bakersfield region.
Semi and Passenger Vehicle Collide in West Fresno After Failure to Stop
September 5, 2017
Five Union City men and a Dinuba man are dead after the Mercedes vehicle the five were driving in hit the tractor-trailer operated by the Dinuba man. The crash occurred at about 9:00 a.m. as the 2009 Mercedes SUV the Union City men were traveling in was moving east on West Manning Avenue. The Mercedes reached the intersection with State Highway 33, but did not stop at the stop sign located there, instead moving immediately into the intersection.
A 2013 Peterbilt semi-truck was approaching the intersection from north Highway 33, and the Mercedes collided with it on the left side of the big rig.
The occupants of the Mercedes, all of whom died at the scene, have been identified by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office as 66-year-old Vinod Dhammy, 64-year-old Kuldip Kumar, 63-year-old Surinder Kumar, 55-year-old Narinder Kumar and 49-year-old Deepak Kumar. The sheriff’s office did not say who drove the vehicle.
First responders were only able to extricate the bodies of two of the men inside the Mercedes before it caught fire, trapping the remaining three inside.
Fifty-eight-year-old Layne Fletcher was driving the Peterbilt semi and was taken by air to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno for treatment of major undisclosed injuries. Fletcher, however, died from those injuries on September 10, 2017.
Neither drugs nor alcohol are believed to be factors in the West Fresno truck crash.
One Fatality in Big Rig Accident Near Delano
September 13, 2017
An unidentified 20-year-old Bakersfield man died when the vehicle he was driving struck an oncoming semi. The passenger traveling with him sustained moderate injuries, while the semi-truck driver sustained minor injuries.
The accident happened at approximately 6:30 a.m. at Pond Road and Driver Road, south of Delano. The semi-truck was traveling south on Driver Road and the passenger vehicle on Pond Road. The driver of the passenger vehicle (the sole fatality in the crash) came to a complete stop at the stop sign located at the intersection before continuing, but then proceeded into the path of the big rig.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene while his 20-year-old passenger was taken to a hospital for the treatment of moderate injuries. The semi-truck driver was taken to Delano Regional hospital for minor injuries.
Teenager Killed in Dump Truck Crash in Stockton
September 11, 2017
Sixteen-year-old Juan Herrera Rodriguez, a Stockon resident and Weston Ranch High School student, is dead after the 2009 Nissan Altima he was driving collided with a dump truck in the southwest area of Stockton.
Rodriguez was driving on Howard Road at about 5:00 p.m. when, according to California Highway Patrol (CHP), he lost control of the vehicle and veered off the road into an adjacent field. Rodriguez overcorrected as he attempted to return to the road, and collided with a Freightliner dump truck driven by 19-year-old Edgar Garcia-Lopez, also a Stockton resident.
CHP pronounced Rodriguez dead at the scene, but an investigation into the accident is ongoing.
Collision Between Two Semis Shuts Down Hwy 99 in Bakersfield
September 6, 2017
The southbound lanes of Highway 99 in Bakersfield near White Lane were closed after a semi-truck rear-ended the tractor-trailer in front of it.
Both vehicles were hauling pumpkins at approximately 1:00 a.m. when the driver of the leading big rig slowed down due to utility company workers nearby, and the second semi struck him from behind. The driver of the second semi-truck was pinned inside the vehicle and sustained major injuries that required hospital treatment.
The southbound lanes were open again as of 7:08 a.m.
30-Year-Old Man on Bicycle Killed by Flat Bed Truck in Central California
August 31, 2017
A 30-year-old man died as he traveled by bicycle in the South Union and Pacheco area of Bakersfield. Dennis Ernest Lopez II collided with a flatbed truck traveling on Pacheco when the accident occurred at approximately 6:40 a.m.
CHP believes that Lopez had stolen the bicycle at the nearby Fastrip gas station and was fleeing when the collision took place. The Bakersfield Police Department is assisting with the investigation into the theft. Officials report that Lopez was at fault in the accident and that the driver of the flatbed would not have had time to stop before hitting him.
Semi-Truck Driver Dead After Driving Off Highway 58 Overpass
August 26, 2017
A semi-truck traveling on Tehachapi Boulevard outside of Bakersfield veered off the overpass and crashed onto the railroad tracks below, killing the driver.
The unidentified driver was traveling east on Highway 58 when he went off the road near the Love’s Travel Stop for unknown reasons. The trailer of the semi was stuck on the overpass above, with the vehicle almost vertical and the cab damaged nearly beyond recognition.
The Kern County Fire Department responded to the accident and pronounced the driver dead at the scene. Environmental Health also responded to the scene to handle the diesel that spilled from the truck during the crash.