Man killed in head-on collision in Fresno County identified by coroner’s office
The man killed in a head-on collision just west of Fresno last weekend has been identified by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office as 23-year-old Michael Garcia.
The crash happened around 5:40 p.m. Saturday on West Shields Avenue near North Chateau Fresno Avenue along the outskirts of the city of Fresno, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Garcia was traveling westbound on Shields in a 2005 Chevy Silverado and a 2014 Ford E-150 van was going eastbound toward Fresno.
The CHP said Garcia traveled over the centerline at a high rate of speed for unknown reasons before the vehicles collided.
Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver, a 25-year-old man, was taken to Community Regional Medical Center in critical condition.
There were no passengers involved in the collision.
The CHP said a preliminary investigation revealed Garcia may have been drinking alcohol prior to the collision “which likely contributed to the cause of the crash.”
Shields was closed for approximately three hours to preserve evidence, gather collision information and to remove vehicles.
A GoFundMe account was set up to pay for funeral expenses.
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 3:33 PM.
