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Authorities say eight people were killed in a head-on collision between two vehicles in Madera, California on Friday, February 23.
The California Highway Patrol reports that nine people were involved in the crash, but one passenger survived.
USA Today reports,
At about 6:15 a.m., the driver of a black Chevrolet pickup truck collided with a GMC van carrying eight people after weaving in and out of a two-lane highway in Madera, about 25 miles northwest of Fresno, police said. struck. A passenger in the back of the van survived the accident and was taken to a local hospital. Hopefully he will recover from his injuries.
The AP is reporting that only two people in the van were wearing seat belts. “If they had been wearing seat belts, the passengers in the back probably would have survived,” said CHP officer Javier Ruvalcaba.
The people in the van were farm laborers on their way to work in the vineyards where they were employed. The vineyard was about five miles from where the crash occurred, the Associated Press reports.
Another van was coming behind them, which was being driven by a farmer's wife. According to news reports from Your Central Valley, the CHP reported that it witnessed the crash.
The CHP says the preliminary investigation shows the pickup crossed and collided with the van – killing the driver of the pickup and seven other people in the van. Authorities say several people in the van were not wearing seat belts when the crash occurred.
The CHP says the wife of one of the victims in the van was driving in another van right behind and witnessed the accident.
The Associated Press reports that a witness told police the pickup truck was driving erratically.
A witness told police the black pickup truck was drifting in and out of its lane on a two-lane rural highway when it collided head-on with the van, Ruvalcaba said.
“At this point, we don't know if alcohol or drugs played a role in this,” he said.
Ruvalcaba said the farm workers were about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the vineyard, where they did pruning work, at the time of the accident.
The van was headed for the farming community of Firebaugh, known for its vineyards and fields of tomatoes, garlic, asparagus and other vegetables.
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