Seven children and two adult drivers were killed on New Year’s Day in a collision between an SUV and a pickup truck in Central California.
The children, aged between six and 15, were part of two related families traveling in a 2007 Ford F-150 pickup when it was hit by a Dodge Journey on State Route 33 in the Fresno around 8pm on Friday between Avenal and Coalinga. digging office and the California Highway Patrol said.
Evidence from the scene indicated that the Dodge, driven by a 28-year-old man, was driving south on the highway when he turned on the dirty shoulder for an unknown reason.
The driver then over-corrected and swerved into the oncoming lane, where it hit the Ford, driven by a woman.
Police burst into flames on their shoulders as the Dodge came to a halt across both lanes of the highway. All eight people, including the seven children, in the Ford were killed.
According to the New York Times, Captain Kevin Clays said on the highway patrol that the pickup was equipped with only six belts. Clays said officers who responded to the collision were offered counseling.
“It’s tragic for the community,” he said. “It is tragic for our officers to respond to these incidents.”
The driver of the Dodge has been identified as Daniel Luna of Avenal. The coroner’s office was busy identifying the victims in the Ford.