Eight people were killed in a head-on car crash on a freeway in Madera County, California Friday morning, California Highway Patrol (CHP) Madera spokesman Javier Ruvalcaba told PEOPLE.
A total of nine male adults were involved in the crash, with one sole survivor who suffered serious injuries and was taken to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, per Ruvalcaba. Survivors are expected to recover.
The crash happened around 6:15 a.m. on the two-lane highway, Avenue 7, which is just west of Route 22. The fatal crash involved a 2001 GMC Safari, which was carrying eight passengers, and collided with a Chevrolet pickup truck, Ruvalcaba tells PEOPLE .
The driver of the Chevrolet was killed, along with the driver of the GMC; both were pronounced dead at the scene. Six passengers in the GMC were killed. The GMC was headed to Lion Farms, according to ABC 30.
ABC 30 identified three of the eight victims — Juvenal Jacobo Talavera, 24, of Michoacán, Mexico, Hector Orozco, 33, of Jalisco, Mexico, and Alfredo Morales Sanchez, 30, of Guerrero, Mexico — citing their family members. All seven GMC victims lived in Kerman, California. Local Fox affiliate KMPH also reported Talavera as one of the victims, also naming members of his family.
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Juvenal Jacobo Talavera.
Juvenal Jacobo Talavera/Facebook
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Ruvalcaba says the driver of the GMC and the right front passenger were the only victims who were wearing seat belts. “We had one complete ejection and one partial ejection,” says Ruvalcaba.
“The amount of bodies is the largest, the largest [crash] that I’ve seen in my 20-year career,” Ruvalcaba tells PEOPLE. “It’s because of the mass casualties.”
“Seat belts could have saved lives. Many lives,” said Ruvalcaba Los Angeles Times.
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Three hours after the accident CHP Madera shared the post on X (formerly known as Twitter) announcing, “Avenue 7 is closed from Route 21 to Route 22 due to a multi-fatality crash. There is currently no ETO. Please find alternative routes.”
Avenue 7 was reopened around 4:30 p.m. local time, CHP Madera confirmed x. “Ave 7 is now open. All lane closures due to the previous accident have been lifted,” the post said.
The CHP has begun an investigation into the cause of the crash, and the investigation is being conducted by a multidisciplinary accident investigation team. In addition, the CHP Madera Regional Office began a second “foreign” investigation
Ruvalcaba says the CHP received reports of a pickup truck “swerving in and out of its lane” and swerving before the crash, but it’s unknown if drugs, alcohol or medical conditions were factors.
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