Authorities say eight men were killed in a head-on collision between two vehicles on Friday, February 23, in Madera, California.
The California Highway Patrol reported that nine men 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 truck carrying eight people after swerving on and off the two-lane highway in Madera, about 25 miles northwest of Fresno, police said. One passenger, who was sitting in the back of the truck, survived the accident and was taken to a local hospital. He is expected to recover from his injuries.
Only two people in the truck were wearing seat belts, the AP reported. “If they had been wearing seat belts, the passengers in the back would probably have survived,” said Javier Ruvalcaba, a CHP official.
The men in the truck were agricultural workers who were headed to work at the vineyard where they worked. The Associated Press reported that the vineyard was about five miles from where the accident occurred.
Another truck followed closely behind, driven by a farmer's wife. The CHP reported witnessing the incident, according to news reports from Your Central Valley.
The CHP says preliminary investigations indicate that the truck crossed and collided with the truck, killing the truck driver and seven others in the truck. Officers say when the accident occurred, several of the men in the truck were not wearing their seat belts.
The CHP says the wife of one of the victims in the truck was following in another truck directly behind it and witnessed the accident.
Reports from the Associated Press say a witness told police the pickup truck was driving erratically.
A witness told police the black pickup truck was swerving in and out of its lane on a two-lane rural highway before it collided head-on with the truck, Ruvalcaba said.
“At this point, we don't know if alcohol or drugs played a role,” he said.
Ruvalcaba said the farm workers were about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the vineyard where they were working on tree trimming when the accident occurred.
The truck was headed to the farming community of Firebaugh, an area known for its vineyards and fields of tomatoes, garlic, asparagus and other vegetables.
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