Officers responded to the crash at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Clovis Avenue, south of Golden State Boulevard.
Fresno, CA – A pickup truck driver was killed Sunday morning in an accident involving a semi-truck amid heavy fog in Fresno, according to Fresno police.
Officers responded to the crash at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Clovis Avenue, south of Golden State Boulevard.
Investigators said a 40-year-old man driving a 2021 Freightliner semi-truck was traveling northbound and attempted to make a U-turn when a southbound 2003 Chevrolet S-10 pickup collided with the trailer. The big rig driver felt the impact and was able to safely pull over. However, the pickup truck was still lodged underneath the semi’s trailer.
The pickup truck quickly got engulfed in flames.
Due to dense fog in the area, visibility was severely limited at the time of the crash, police said.
Emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene and pronounced the pickup truck driver dead. The semi-truck driver was not injured.
Authorities said alcohol and drugs are not suspected to have played a role in the collision, but believe foggy conditions were a significant contributing factor.
Authorities are investigating the collision.
According to the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) 2023 crash rankings, Fresno city reported about 1,600 traffic collisions that resulted in death or injury, placing it in the higher end of risk categories among similar-sized California cities. The OTS data shows 238 of these involved alcohol, with notable contributions from drivers under 21 and those aged 21–34, and over 200 pedestrian victims in crashes, highlighting risks to vulnerable road users. Speed-related and nighttime collisions also ranked poorly compared to peer cities, and DUI arrests tied to collisions were among the highest.
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