2 dead following fatal crash in Fresno County, CHP says

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — Two people are dead following a crash at a Fresno County intersection that has proven dangerous in the past.

The crash happened shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday at De Wolf and North avenues, southwest of Sanger.

The accident paralyzed the intersection for several hours while first responders cleared the area.

California Highway Patrol officers said a white Chevrolet pickup was heading east on North Avenue when it struck a red Mitsubishi traveling north on DeWolf.

Officers are still trying to determine if the Mitsubishi stopped at the stop sign.

“We don’t know if they stopped at the stop sign and continued or if they continued to the stop sign without stopping at that point,” said Sgt. Joseph Bianchi with the California Highway Patrol.

“It’s still under investigation, but in any case it appears they failed to yield the right of way to the van.”

Two people inside the Mitsubishi were killed.

The driver and passenger of the Chevrolet were rushed to the hospital with moderate to serious injuries.

“It always helps to look twice both ways,” said Sgt. Bianchi. “You can never stop for too long to be safe.”

The intersection of the DeWolf and North Avenues sections is no stranger to accidents.

In December 2022, Ayla Gonzales and her boyfriend, Ray Rordate, died at this intersection after a large truck hit their car.

RELATED: Dangerous intersection? Neighbors complain after (another) fatal collision

At the time of this accident, CHP said the big rig had the right of way.

It was a tragic accident that Steven Bedoian remembers.

“That turn doesn’t seem like, I don’t know, a nice intersection,” Bedoian said.

Action News first spoke with Bedoian more than a year ago, after the deaths of Gonzales and Rodarte.

Hearing about another fatal accident breaks his heart.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are,” Bedoian said. “It’s just hard. I’m thinking about the families.”

Today, Bedoian wants something to be done.

“It would be nice if they did a quadruple,” Bedoian said. “Even if they put bumps in the road like they do to slow people down.”

The CHP said it does not appear drugs, alcohol or distracted driving played a role in the crash.

But the police are still investigating.

Action News contacted Supervisor Buddy Mendes, who represents this district.

He said when an accident occurs at a county intersection, a traffic study is automatically triggered.

The Fresno County Department of Public Works said in a statement:

“We last looked at the intersection in 2023 and no changes were deemed necessary. Since December 2022, we have only received one complaint regarding potholes at this location. No work is planned for the intersection at this time. »

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