2 dead in overnight crash near Alpaugh

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Two people are dead following a three-car collision overnight near Visalia on Monday, the California Highway Patrol announced.

CHP says just after midnight on Monday they received iPhone notifications regarding a crash on Highway 43 near Avenue 56 east of Alpaugh in Tulare County.

Investigators report a Dodge Charger was traveling northbound on Highway 43 north of Avenue 56. At the same time, a GMC Canyon was headed southbound on Highway 43 north of Avenue 56 with a BMW 328I traveling behind it.

For reasons yet to be determined, detectives report the Dodge allowed the vehicle to veer to the left, directly in the path of GMC. In an effort to avoid colliding, the GMC turned to the right and the left side of the Charger struck the left side of the GMC.

Officers say the GMC traveled off the west road edge onto the dirt shoulder as the Charger continued in a northerly direction within the wrong lane. The Charger collided head-on with the BMW that was traveling behind the GMC.

Both the GMC and BMW came to a rest on the west dirt shoulder of Highway 43, north of Avenue 56 while the Charger ended up facing a westerly direction in the lanes of Highway 43, CHP reports.

As a result, officers say the 21-year-old Avenal male driver of the Dodge and the 60-year-old McFarland male driver of the BMW sustained fatal injuries. Both of their right front passengers sustained major injuries and were transported to a local hospital. The driver of the GMC reported minor injuries consistent with complaints of pain.

Investigators report it appears all drivers involved appeared to have been wearing seatbelts but it is unknown if drugs or alcohol are a factor.

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