Fatal collision shuts down Blackstone Avenue near downtown Fresno

A fatal collision involving a pickup and a Mercedes sedan Thursday morning shut down Blackstone Avenue, police reported.

The crash, at North Blackstone and East Illinois avenues, kept Blackstone closed south of East McKenzie Avenue for several hours as the department’s collision reconstruction unit investigated the crash.

The crash occurred about 9 a.m.

Capt. Joe Alvarez said the investigation determined that the driver of the Mercedes was southbound in the right lane of Blackstone when he attempted to make a left turn, across traffic, onto eastbound Illinois. The pickup driver slammed into the driver-side door of the Mercedes and the Mercedes driver died at the scene. A passenger in the Mercedes was taken to the hospital with injuries.

This story will be updated.

This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 9:54 AM.