Clovis man identified as victim in fatal crash on Highway 99 in Fresno
UPDATE: The truck driver who died in the incident was identified Monday by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office on Monday as Yingyathaij Lee, 31, of Clovis.
ORIGINAL STORY: Two separate collisions early Sunday on northbound Highway 99, just south of Herndon Avenue, resulted in the death of a man and three other people being injured, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Mike Salas, a spokesman for the Fresno-area CHP, said the agency received a report of a collision involving two vehicles about 2:19 a.m.
According to preliminary information, when officers and other emergency crews responded, it was determined that two crashes had occurred.
The first led to a gray Hyundai Sonata blocking the No. 2 northbound lane on the highway.
Investigators were later able to piece together the sequence of events that took place during the second crash.
The driver of a white Isuzu box truck was driving in the No. 2 northbound lane at an unknown speed, according to Salas. Meanwhile, the driver of a Toyota Camry had stopped on the right shoulder in an attempt to help the driver involved in the first crash.
As the box truck approached the Sonata, the truck driver swerved to the right, into lane No. 3 and then onto the shoulder.
The front right bumper of the truck struck the right rear bumper of the Camry, according to Salas. The Camry was pushed northeast onto the dirt shoulder.
“The box truck continued in an easterly direction and overturned onto its left side,” he said. “The driver of the box truck suffered fatal injuries.”
The victim has not yet been identified.
Two passengers in the truck were taken to Community Regional Medical Center with moderate injuries, Salas said. A passenger on the Camry also was taken to CRMC with moderate injuries.
Alcohol is not suspected to be a factor, Salas said.
This story was originally published October 3, 2021 at 11:10 AM.
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