Update: Victim identified in fatal van vs. big rig crash on foggy highway near Kerman

The California Highway Patrol said one person was killed and two others were hurt, one with major injuries, when a van collided with a big rig trailer near Kerman on Friday.

CHP spokesman Mike Salas said visibility was only 50 feet about 7:30 a.m. when the crash occurred.

The driver of van, identified Friday night as 53-year-old Armando Flores Cruz, was southbound on Highway 145, south of Jensen Avenue, when the big rig, pulling a trailer, pulled out of a private driveway to northbound 145, into the path of the van. Cruz did not see the van in time to avoid the collision, Salas said, and in the impact the van became lodged under the trailer. Cruz died at the scene.

Salas said the speed at which the van was driven was a factor in the crash, and noted that when he was driving to the scene in his patrol vehicle, he was proceeding at a speed of 15 mph for safety. He reminded drivers to manually turn on their headlights in foggy conditions, because the running lights that remain on for most vehicles are not bright enough to cut through the fog.

This story was originally published December 3, 2021 at 11:51 AM.