Fresno, CA – An arrest is made after a fiery crash on HWY 99 leaves one woman dead
FRESNO, CA – According to the California Highway Patrol, a drunk driver is accused of hitting another vehicle on Highway 99, causing a fiery collision that claimed the life of the other driver. Just after 11:00 p.m. on Friday, a Mitsubishi Galant that was “blacked out” and obstructing the middle lane of traffic heading north on Highway 99, close to Clovis Avenue, was reported to the dispatch center.
The CHP reports that shortly after receiving that call, its officers were informed of a collision in which a Toyota Rav4 was moving in the same direction as the Mitsubishi and collided with it. According to police, Fresno resident Jose Lopez Gracida, 25, who was operating the Toyota, was unable to avoid colliding with the Mitsubishi from behind. As a result, both cars were ejected from the road and came to rest on the right shoulder. They claim the driver, a 28-year-old Selma woman, was unable to escape the burning Mitsubishi in time and perished as a result of her injuries.
According to the police, they believe that the Mitsubishi was also engaged in a previous collision that left it broken down on the road.
Investigators detained Gracida because they think he was driving while intoxicated. After being brought to a local hospital for treatment, police said he will be charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated when he is released.
The woman’s identity will not be released until her next of kin has been notified.
Fresno Car Accident Attorneys
More than 270,000 accidents take place in our state each year. Sustaining injuries in a serious car accident can gravely affect victims and their family members, especially when the injuries are severe. In worst case scenarios, victims sustain injuries that they cannot overcome and they ultimately lose their lives. Surviving family members are left to bear the burden of the unexpected loss, not only emotionally, but also possibly financially.
No one wants to get hurt or see their loved ones injured in an auto accident. However, car crashes occur at an alarming rate in California and throughout the United States. There are more than 6 million car accidents reported per year in the US, with approximately 400,000 of them occurring in the Golden State. Automobile accidents throughout the state of California claim the lives of more than 3,200 people each year, more than almost any other state in the nation.
Human error is the leading cause of these collisions. In fact, statistics show that careless actions while operating motor vehicles like negligence, recklessness, speeding, intoxication, and fatigue contribute to around 80% of vehicle accidents each year. Having to face the loss of someone you love is extremely difficult. Believing that their accident could have been prevented is perhaps even harder, especially when you are under the impression that negligence or recklessness contributed to their untimely passing.
Family members of those lost in negligently caused accidents are forced to endure seemingly endless emotional turmoil. Additionally, they are often stuck paying tens of thousands of dollars in funeral expenses, burial costs, and more. They can also be required to pay outstanding medical bills and other costs associated with the death of their loved one. Surviving family members of car accident victims who have wrongfully lost their lives can reach out to a California wrongful death attorney to explore legal options available to them after an unexpected loss.
If you have recently lost a loved one in a manner of this nature, you could be entitled to significant financial compensation that may help cover some or all of the costs associated with your family member’s passing.
Wrongful Death Lawyers in Fresno
For nearly four decades, the Fresno car accident attorneys at Torem & Associates have helped guide families after losing loved ones in accidents resulting from the negligence of other motorists sharing the road. Our attorneys strive to help our clients better understand options available to them moving forward to ensure they are able to maximize their recoveries and get the justice they deserve for their loved ones. Through our keen attention to detail and extensive knowledge of personal injury laws in California, we are able to provide reliable and trusted legal representation to help our clients win so they can hold wrongdoers accountable for their actions.
If your loved one was killed in a preventable accident, reach out to one of our wrongful death lawyers in Fresno by calling (888) 500-5000. Our team is available to meet with you and discuss legal options available to help you recover.
Note: Our team of writers utilizes secondary sources when creating these posts. These sources include but are not limited to local news reports, police accident reports, and eyewitness accounts about serious injury accidents in Fresno. For that reason, the details surrounding the incident have not been independently verified by our team of writers. If you locate any information that is not correct in our post, please contact our firm right away so that we correct the post to reflect the most accurate information available.
Disclaimer: Our firm, Torem & Associates, has worked hard to become valued members of the local business community. We write these posts as a way to bring awareness to the dangers of driving or being a passenger in any type of automobile accident. We hope that through awareness, people will use additional caution when out on the roadways in Fresno and throughout California to prevent being seriously injured in a crash. This post is not intended to be a solicitation for business. The information provided in this post is meant to be informational and is not intended to be misconstrued as legal or medical advice. The photos used in the post are not representative of the actual accident scene.
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