Children ages 6, 7 and woman, 28, hurt as SUV rolls over in possible DUI crash, CHP says
Three people were seriously hurt — including children ages 6 and 7 — and another person also injured Sunday night when an SUV crashed and flipped over in Fresno County, with the California Highway Patrol reporting it as a DUI-related investigation.
The crash happened at 7:26 p.m. along Highway 145, just north of Clinton Avenue.
Headed south on the 145 toward Clinton at a speed of 50 mph to 60 mph, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon ran off the road and through a yard where it hit fencing, CHP Sgt. Matt Radke said.
The vehicle rolled at least once, Radke said, with a 6-year-old boy thrown from the SUV. In addition to the 7-year-old boy, a 28-year-old woman also suffered major injuries. The woman had to be airlifted to the hospital.
The driver, a 34-year-old man, had minor to moderate injuries, Radke said. He also was taken to the hospital.
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No child seats were used, Radke said. While the 7-year-old remained in the vehicle, it wasn’t clear if the woman also was ejected from the SUV.
Radke called it a DUI-related crash and said the four were coming from Skaggs Park with other family members traveling behind.
Homeowner recalls ‘terrifying’ moment
Linda Leonard was inside her house off Highway 145 when she heard a big, loud sound outside and worried about the fate of her home.
“I was inside the house when I heard this loud crash, but it continued,” she said. “I actually backed up, thinking, ‘Is it coming down on my house?’ Then I realized it was moving and I opened the door and of course the dirt .... I couldn’t see any of (the trees). I shut the door for a minute, then opened the door and just came out because I heard them screaming.
“I heard, ‘Where is she?,’ (referring to) his girlfriend. ‘Where is she, where is she?’”
Someone else shouted, “She’s over there and the baby is over there,” Leonard said.
It appeared the Jeep had lifted on the ground at one point, flipping as it came across the yard.
Leonard’s front fence was damaged, as well as some trees in the front. The house and some plants also sustained some damage, she said.
“It was pretty terrifying,” she said. “You don’t know what you’re seeing and then you realize my trees are gone, but then you hear ‘Here she is.’ Something way bigger than my yard.”
This story was originally published May 23, 2021 at 10:25 PM.
