SUV flips on busy avenue, just missing Popeyes restaurant

An SUV flipped Sunday afternoon on a busy avenue in Fresno, slamming into a pole on the sidewalk and injuring the two people inside, police said.

Police initially received a call at about 2 p.m. that a car had slammed into the Popeyes restaurant on Blackstone and Simpson avenues and caught fire, Lt. Rob Beckwith said.

But officers arrived to find the SUV lying on the sidewalk north of the building, after it hit a tree and a pole near the restaurant. It was not on fire.

Beckwith said the 28-year-old man who was driving may have suffered a diabetic emergency, which caused him to lose control.

A 29-year-old woman was also inside the SUV, and the pair suffered only minor cuts and abrasions.

The man was conscious after the crash and was taken to Community Regional Medical Center for evaluation, Beckwith said.

This story was originally published January 28, 2018 at 3:23 PM with the headline "SUV flips on busy avenue, just missing Popeyes restaurant."