A man was fatally injured in a rollover crash when the pickup truck he was driving on Highway 99 north of Madera veered off the freeway and overturned.
According to a news report in the Fresno Bee, the fatal rollover crash occurred on the afternoon of April 16, 2022. California Highway Patrol officials said a man in his mid-70s was alone in his pickup truck as he headed north on Highway 99 just north of Avenue 17.
Ongoing Crash Investigation
Officials said the pickup, a silver Toyota Tacoma, drifted onto the right-hand shoulder of the freeway, causing the driver to lose control. The pickup truck veered through a muddy stretch between the freeway and the adjacent railroad tracks, hit the embankment below the tracks, and overturned, throwing debris from the pickup truck bed and ejecting the driver from the cab.
Officials found the driver a few feet away from where the pickup came to rest. Investigators said the weather had been rainy on and off and that the shoulder of the freeway was muddy. However, it was not raining at the time of the crash, and officers do not believe the weather was a factor in this crash. The investigation is ongoing.
We offer our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased victim. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
What Caused This Rollover Crash?
Based on this news report, it appears that the driver lost control of the pickup truck. However, there are several unanswered questions here. Why did he lose control of the vehicle? Was there some type of vehicle defect or mechanical malfunction in the vehicle that caused it to go out of control? Was there a dangerous condition on the roadway which caused this crash?
Were other vehicles involved? For example, was the SUV cut off or run off the roadway by another vehicle? Why was the driver ejected? Was the seatbelt defective? We trust officials are looking into these and other issues in order to determine what occurred here and why.
Preserving the Vehicle
In such cases, it would be good to preserve the vehicle in its current condition, unaltered, so an expert can carefully examine it for defects, malfunctions, design flaws, and other evidence. Families of deceased victims would be well advised to contact an experienced attorney who deals with car accidents across California. They will stay on top of the official investigation and protect their client’s legal rights and best interests.
Source: https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article260486832.html