A truck driver was killed and two others were injured in a chain-reaction crash involving three big rigs and a pickup truck that occurred in dense fog south of Fresno early Wednesday, January 28th. The deceased big rig driver has been identified as Antonio Cervantes, 37, of Livingston.
The crash began around 3:00 a.m. on Highway 41 north of Central Avenue. California Highway Patrol estimated that visibility at the time of the crash was between 500 and 700 feet. A Foster Farms big rig, driven by Cervantes, pulled over and stopped on the side of the highway. Cervantes was exiting his cab when an empty fuel tanker crashed into the back of the big rig, trapping Cervantes underneath the wreckage. A pickup truck and another Foster Farms big rig eventually crashed into the accident because of high speeds and dense fog.
The driver of the fuel tanker, identified as Brandon Russell, 33, of Visalia, was taken to Community Regional Hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the pickup truck, identified as Mario Moreno, 47, of Riverdale, was treated for minor injuries. The driver of the second Foster Farms big rig was uninjured. Northbound Highway 41 was closed for hours while crews cleared debris and chickens from the highway.
CHP wants to remind drivers that it is illegal to stop on the freeway for anything other than an emergency. If the driving conditions of the fog are too dangerous, they recommend exiting the freeway and stopping on any road that is not a freeway to wait for better driving conditions (and turning off headlights and tail lights if you do so).
