Ricardo Perez and Manuel Garcia Killed in Bakersfield Car Accident on 5 Freeway
Bakersfield, California (July 12, 2022) – The Kern County Coroner's Office has identified the victims of a fatal head-on crash that happened early Monday morning in Bakersfield.
According to a local news report, the accident happened a while before 3:30 a.m. July 11, on the southbound 5 Freeway near Twisselman Road.
Per the report, a Box Truck and a Flatbed Truck crashed for unknown reasons. The trucks sustained significant front-end damage following the collision.
Responding emergency crews declared two people dead following the collision. The victims were identified as Manuel Velasquez Garcia, 44, of Montclair and Ricardo Gomez Perez, 54, of Healdsburg.
No additional information concerning this incident was provided.
An investigation is ongoing.
2 Killed in Lost Hills Crash Involving Big Rigs on 5 Freeway near Twisselman Road
Lost Hills, California (July 11, 2022) – Two people were killed in a head-on collision involving two big rigs that happened early Monday morning in Lost Hills, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The crash occurred at about 3:29 a.m. on southbound 5 Freeway, just south of Twisselman Road.
CHP said a Freightliner and a Kenworth were involved in the accident.
A 44-year-old Montclair resident was driving the Freightliner northbound on the freeway, and a 55-year-old Healdsburg resident was driving the Kenworth southbound on the freeway.
2 Killed in 5 Freeway Collision in Lost Hills
Authorities said, for unknown reasons, the Freightliner crossed into the southbound lanes and crashed head-on with the Kenworth.
Lumber and gallons of diesel spilled onto the roadway.
Both drivers were pronounced dead at the crash site.
The crash left all southbound lanes of the freeway closed as emergency crews cleared the lumber and diesel and as police investigated.
Traffic was being detoured at Twisselman Road.
Crash Fatalities in California Went Up in 2021, Early Federal Estimates Show
Newly released estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that fatalities caused by traffic crashes on U.S. freeways reached a 16-year high in 2021. The crash deaths also increased in almost every state, including California, according to NHTSA.
According to the Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2021 report released by NHTSA, about 42,915 people were killed in traffic collisions in 2021 in the US. This shows a 10.5% increase from the 38,828 fatalities reported in 2020.
NHTSA says the projection is the highest number of traffic deaths since 2005 as well as the largest percentage rise in the history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
In California, 4,258 people died in traffic collisions in 2021 – a 10.7% increase from 2020's 3,847, as per the NHTSA report titled – “Crash Stats: Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2021.”
According to the traffic deaths estimates, in the two-state region that includes Arizona and California, crash fatalities in 2021 are projected to go up by 10% over the previous year.
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