New details revealed in crash that killed Fresno doctor, wife. Police cite ‘excessive speed’
Excessive speed was the determining factor that caused a fatal car crash in October involving a prominent and well-loved doctor and his wife, Fresno police said Tuesday.
The crash happened shortly before 9:30 p.m. Oct. 13 on Friant Road north of Champlain Drive when Dr. Alfred Valles was driving a Tesla at an excessive speed.
Police in an update said Valles was driving a Model S Plaid, which Tesla says “has the quickest acceleration of any vehicle in production.”
The department’s Collision Reconstruction Unit said Valles was estimated to be driving around 124 mph at the time of the impact.
“No other associated factors were identified,” police said.
Police also said the investigation revealed Valles had alcohol in his system, but his blood-alcohol level was below the state limit 0.08.
In addition, police said no allegations of racing were corroborated.
Valles, 50, and Selina Valles, 46, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police acknowledged there was a set of tire skid marks near the fatal scene, but had no new information about them, including whether they were made by Valles.
A projectile from the vehicle ignited a small grass fire near Friant and Rice Road, where the crash occurred. The Fresno Fire Department extinguished the fire. The fire department this week did not have an update on the cause of the fire and neither did the police.
Valles had worked at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno since 2012 while Selina Valles was a real estate agent for London Properties in Fresno.
A funeral was held for the couple Oct. 27 at Cross City Christian Church that was attended by many mourners and a Celebration of Life was held Nov. 18 at Peoples Church in northeast Fresno.
Telsa Model S Plaid specs
The Model S Plaid, according to Tesla, has 1,020 horsepower and can go 0-60 mph in 1.99 seconds with a top speed of 200.
Car and Driver in a story published in January 2022 said the Model S Plaid tied the Bugatti Chiron Sport for the quickest quarter-mile that the trade publication has ever recorded, at 9.4 seconds.
Car and Driver also reported on a special feature of the Model S Plaid: “To unlock maximum acceleration, select Drag Strip mode, which heats the battery to the optimum temperature, then mash and hold the brake and accelerator pedals for about 10 seconds to signal the air springs to lower the front end. The front tires tuck into the fenders in what Tesla calls a cheetah stance.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2023 at 2:14 PM.
