Head-On Crash Kills Seven Kids, Two Adults in Central CA

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Investigators are asking for the public’s help to determine what led up to a head-on crash that killed seven children and two adults in central California on New Year’s Day. The California Highway Patrol says everyone who reported Friday’s fiery crash on rural State Route 33 came upon the scene after the collision. The CHP hopes to talk to witnesses who saw what happened in the seconds before the SUV and the truck collided between Avenal and Coalinga. The children, who were between 6 and 15 years old, were members of two related families traveling in a Ford F-150 truck that was struck by around 8 p.m. by a Dodge Journey SUV, the Fresno County Coroner’s office and the CHP said. Evidence from the scene indicated that the Dodge being driven by a 28-year-old man was traveling southbound on the highway when it veered onto the dirt shoulder for an unknown reason, the CHP said. The driver then overcorrected and swerved into the southbound lane, where it struck the Ford driven by a woman, officials said. The Ford burst into flames on the dirt shoulder, while the Dodge came to a stop straddling both lanes of the highway, the CHP said. “When the fire was extinguished, tragically it was discovered there were eight occupants — seven of which appeared to be juveniles — inside the Ford,” CHP Capt. Kevin Clays said at a Saturday afternoon news conference. “We are working with the Fresno County Coroner’s Office to identif...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: AP News Rescue & Vehicle Extrication California Crash Source Type: news