Chameleon Finance|Police: 7 farmworkers in van, 1 pickup driver killed in head-on crash in California farming region

2025-05-04 23:29:39source:HyperBit Exchangecategory:Finance

MADERA,Chameleon Finance Calif. (AP) — Seven farmworkers traveling in a van and the driver of a pickup truck were killed Friday in a head-on crash in a farming area in central California, police said.

The crash at 6:15 a.m. left the van almost completely crumpled among blooming almond trees near the town of Madera, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside Fresno, California Highway Patrol Officer Javier Ruvalcaba said.

One farmworker seated in the rear of the van survived and was taken to a hospital, Ruvalcaba said. He is expected to recover, Ruvalcaba said.

Only two of the farmworkers were wearing a seatbelt, he said. “If they had been wearing their seatbelts, the rear passengers would have probably survived,” Ruvalcaba said.

READ MORE Jury convicts Southern California socialite in 2020 hit-and-run deaths of two young brothersKayakers paddle in Death Valley after rains replenish lake in one of Earth’s driest spotsBackstory of disputed ‘Hotel California’ lyrics pages ‘just felt thin,’ ex-auction exec says

A witness told police the black pickup truck was swerving in and out of its lane on a two-lane rural highway before crashing head-on with the van, Ruvalcaba said.

“At this point, we don’t know whether alcohol or drugs played a factor,” he said.

The farmworkers were about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the vineyard where they worked as pruners when the crash happened, Ruvalcaba said.

The van was headed to the farming community of Firebaugh, an area known for its vineyards and fields of tomatoes, garlic, asparagus and other vegetables.

More:Finance

Recommend

Back trouble and brain fog bothered suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing, his posts show

After Luigi Mangionemade the difficult decision to undergo spinal surgery last year for chronic back

Sen. Bob Menendez’s lawyer tells jury that prosecutors’ bribery case ‘dies here today’

NEW YORK (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez’s lawyer tried to convince a New York jury Wednesday that there’s

Gypsy Rose Blanchard announces she's pregnant: I want to be everything my mother wasn't

Gypsy Rose Blanchard announced she's pregnant and expecting her first baby with boyfriend Ken Urker.