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A truck crash turned fatal in a rural part of Fresno, CA when a driver ran a stop sign and crashed into another truck.
According to the Fresno Bee, a Ford truck on Manning Avenue approached James Road, just southwest of Tranquility at roughly 9:30 in the morning. A service truck was headed north on James Road, but the driver did not stop at the stop sign and, according to CHP, collided with the Ford, which did not have a stop sign.
The service truck hit the passenger side of the Ford truck, where a man in his 40’s was seated. The truck veered into a field, and CHP said the passenger in the Ford was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Ford truck suffered only moderate injuries, and the driver of the service truck was not injured. CHP reported that neither driver was suspected of being impaired.
“Truck crashes in Fresno and throughout California are notoriously dangerous,” said Singleton Schreiber partner Brett Schreiber. “Our hearts go out to this man’s relatives and loved ones, as their lives have completely changed today.”
This is the second fatal truck crash in as many weeks in Fresno. Roughly 1 week ago, Amaya Chenot was killed in a tow truck accident when it ran a red light. That incident was caught on camera and uploaded to YouTube on a channel highlighting how dangerous certain intersections can be in Fresno.
Singleton Schreiber can be reached at 559-702-0846 or by emailing info@singletonschreiber.com.
Fresno Truck Accident Deaths
Because Fresno, CA is home to a farming community, there are a number of large trucks driving around the area on a regular basis. This glut of trucks, which includes 18-wheelers, service trucks, tow trucks, pickup trucks, and more, can create dangerous driving conditions. The large number of trucks coupled with hazardous intersections makes Fresno residents particularly vulnerable to truck accident deaths.
Common causes of truck accidents include distracted driving, drunk driving, speeding and reckless driving, running red traffic signals and stop signs, wrong way driving, and more. In this instance, a stop sign either wasn’t seen or wasn’t obeyed, and because of this a man lost his life.
Just How Dangerous Are Trucks in Fresno?
The average pickup can weigh 3,000 – 6,000 pounds. A service truck, such as the one involved in this accident, can weigh 10,000 pounds at a minimum. Added together, that’s at least 8 tons of metal and fiberglass traveling at potentially high speeds during the collision.
In part because of the high volume of trucks on the road, Fresno has an undue number of truck accident deaths, especially when compared to much larger, much more congested areas of California. In 2020 and 2021, there were a total of 44 deaths resulting from truck crashes in Fresno. With a total of 428 truck accidents during that two-year period, more than 10% of those truck collisions resulted in fatalities. In Los Angeles County, that number is less than 3%, even with a population that’s 9 million+ larger.
Fresno Stop Sign Truck Crash
For the family and friends of the man who perished, the next steps will be very difficult. Police and authorities will have to do an investigation, which may include an autopsy. Being a man in his 40’s, he may have had a family to care for, making it difficult for them to figure out how to grieve his death and put their lives back together as best they can.
Stop sign collisions in Fresno and throughout California are extremely dangerous, and often deadly. Drivers are urged to drive slowly and cautiously, even if they have the right of way. In this instance, the man who died wasn’t even driving the vehicle, he was merely a passenger in a truck that was obeying the laws.
“Vehicle accidents are dangerous enough, but when a truck is added into the mix, the potential for a fatality goes up exponentially,” Mr. Schreiber added. “Drivers are urged to take proper precautions, and when necessary, hire a Fresno truck accident attorney who understands the law and how to help a family examine their rights under the law.”
Anyone who has been injured, or who knows someone who has been injured in Fresno County truck accidents, can contact Singleton Schreiber at 559-702-0846 or by emailing info@singletonschreiber.com.
