Head-on collision claims eight lives in Madera county, California

A head-on collision in Madera County claimed the lives of eight individuals, including farmworkers en route to their workplace on Friday morning. 

The two-vehicle crash occurred around 6am Friday morning on a two-lane road near the town of Madera, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside Fresno. The vehicles involved a Chevy Silverado pickup and an older model GMC Safari van carrying eight farmworkers.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported that the pickup driver crossed the centerline, resulting in the fatal collision. The victims, seven of whom were farmworkers traveling in the van, faced the brunt of the impact. 

Despite an immediate response from CHP around 6:30am on Avenue 7 west of Road 22 in a rural area of Madera County, the outcome was tragic.

Officer Javier Ruvalcaba of the CHP shared, "It appeared the truck crossed over the center line of a two-lane rural highway before crashing head-on with the van." 

None of the van occupants, except the driver and front passenger, were wearing seatbelts, compounding the severity of the tragedy.

KSEE News reported that the wife of one of the victims, traveling in another van immediately behind the Safari, witnessed the catastrophic collision unfold before her eyes. 

The group of workers was on their way to the Firebaugh area for a day's labour when the accident occurred.