One dead and two hospitalized after BMW slams into Fresno freeway wall, CHP says

A crash early Sunday morning at the Highway 99/180 interchange left a BMW driver dead and two passengers injured, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of the BMW X5 SUV was identified by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office on Sunday as Sevak Korkotyan, 29, of Fresno.

Drugs and alcohol are believed to be involved, CHP said.

According to the investigation report, neither Korkotyan nor his male passenger, age unknown, were believed to have been wearing seat belts when the accident occurred. The male passenger, who was in the back seat, suffered major injuries. A 23-year-old female passenger riding in the front seat was wearing a seat belt. She suffered moderate injuries.

The BMW was traveling on the southbound Highway 99 connector ramp to eastbound Highway 180 when it struck a concrete barrier wall about 12:30 a.m.

The vehicle is believed to have turned over at least once before it caught on fire. Korkotyan was thrown from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at Community Regional Medical Center.

The male passenger fled the scene after the accident but was found by Fresno police officers.

This story was originally published August 2, 2020 at 8:01 AM.