Fresno, Clovis men were among the victims in deadly crash near Table Mountain Casino
The victims who died in a head-on crash early Saturday near Table Mountain Casino were men from Fresno, Tulare, Clovis and Kerman, according to the latest information released by the California Highway Patrol.
The names of those killed remain withheld until their families are notified. But additional details do reveal the ages and cities of the people who died as well as two men who survived the collision.
The crash happened about 4:30 a.m. on Millerton Road near Marina Drive, just west of the casino. The ongoing investigation by the CHP indicates that a 2016 Hyundai Accent, driven by a 20-year-old man from Tulare, was heading west on Millerton Road and apparently crossed a double-yellow line west of Marina Drive, drifting into the opposite lane of traffic.
The Hyundai collided head-on with a 2003 Honda Accord driven by 42-year-old Jugjeet Muhar of Clovis.
The impact crushed the front ends of both vehicles, and emergency crews had to use the Jaws of Life to cut the roof off the Honda to extract Muhar and another man, Davinder Brar, 44, of Clovis, from the wreckage. Muhar and Brar were taken to Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno with major injuries.
All four people in the Hyundai were dead at the scene from their injuries, including the driver, 20, from Tulare, and his passengers, a 43-year-old man from Fresno, a 28-year-old Fresno man, and a 32-year-old man from Clovis. One of the men in the back seat was thrown from the Hyundai by the impact.
“It is believed that none of the people in the Hyundai were wearing their seat belts, which definitely added to the severity of the injuries,” said Mike Salas, a public information officer for the CHP. “The amount of damage to both vehicles was astronomical.”
A 48-year-old man from Kerman, a passenger in Muhar’s Honda, was also ejected from the back seat in the crash and died at the scene, according to CHP investigators.
Investigators believe that the driver of the Hyundai may have been impaired by alcohol. “There were indications at the scene that led us to believe that alcohol may be a factor,” Salas said. He added, however, that a final finding will depend on results of toxicology results from the Fresno County Coroner’s Office.
This story was originally published February 5, 2022 at 3:26 PM.
