Utility truck driver accused of traveling 100 mph in deadly DUI crash in Madera County, CHP says

MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Two people are dead and a person was accused of DUI following a deadly DUI crash in Madera County on Tuesday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol said.

Officers said they received reports of a traffic collision in the area of Highway 41 near Yosemite RV Park south of Coarsegold just after 4 p.m.

According to CHP, preliminary investigation revealed a man in his 30s was driving a white utility truck northbound on Highway 41 near the Yosemite RV resort, at speeds that witnesses report exceeded 100 mph. The truck entered a curve in the road, lost control and began to rotate on its axis.

At the same time, officers say a juvenile was driving a black SUV southbound when they saw the vehicle rotating out of control and swerved to the left to avoid a collision. A Ford Bronco was traveling right behind the black SUV and could not avoid the collision; the Ford was hit head-on by the white truck.

Because of the impact, CHP says the vehicles veered off the road and down an embankment. The Ford fell approximately 40 feet and the white truck fell 15 feet. Two people traveling in the Ford died as a result.

CHP says the driver of the white vehicle was flown to a hospital in Fresno for major injuries and is accused of DUI; the juvenile did not report injuries.

The identity of the man driving the white truck and the two deceased people has not been released.

This is an ongoing investigation.