Madera woman, daughter sustain major injuries in Avenue 7 crash

A Madera woman, 27, and her daughter, 6, sustained major injuries Friday morning in a collision on Avenue 7 and Road 24 near Ripperdan, the California Highway Patrol reported Monday.

The crash took place about 9:30 a.m. as Claudia Ledesma, 27, and her daughter, Katy, 6, were southbound on 24 in a Ford Escape. The CHP reported that Ledesma ran a stop sign at 7 and drove into the path of a Toyota driven by Alejandra Arias Canela, 25, of Firebaugh, who was westbound on 7 at a speed of about 60 mph.

The Toyota broadsided the Ford, airbags in both cars activated and the vehicles swerved off the southwest corner of the intersection into a power pole and and concrete irrigation structure. Ledesma and her daughter were cut from the Ford by firefighters and rushed to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno. Arias Canela was take to Madera Community Hospital with moderate injuries.

The CHP said that neither alcohol nor drugs appeared to play a role in the crash.

Avenue 7 was closed for several hours after the crash for an investigation.

This story was originally published January 28, 2019 at 7:13 AM.