Fatal big rig collision shuts down Highway 41 near Cholame 'Y'
Update 9:15 p.m.
The driver of a 2007 Ford Mustang was killed when the car the person was driving veered over the highway, and collided with a big rig hauling a trailer, California Highway Patrol says.
According to CHP, the Mustang's driver was traveling northbound on Highway 41 when for unknown reasons, the car crossed the double yellow lines into the southbound lanes of traffic and directly into the path of the truck.
The driver of the truck, Fillimon R. Lopez, 63, of Corona, was unable to avoid the Mustang, and collided with the side of the car, according to the release.
This caused the big rig and trailer to jack-knife onto the right shoulder before bursting into flames. Lopez was able to remove himself from the truck without injury.
The Mustang's driver died from injuries as a result of the collision. Identification of the driver, including the person's gender, is still pending.
The cause of the collision is under investigation, but alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been a factor, CHP said.
Highway 41 was closed for five hours while crews removed the vehicles and began conducting an investigation.
Witnesses to the collision or the vehicles before the crash are asked to contact the Templeton CHP office at 805-434-1822.
Original story:
One person was killed in a crash between a big rig and a Ford Mustang that closed Highway 41 east of the Cholame "Y" on Monday afternoon.
CHP Templeton officer Patrick Seebart said the crash was located several miles east of the "Y," roughly one mile from the Kern County line.
Cal Fire and California Highway Patrol responded to the scene of the collision, which was reported at 2:50 p.m. Highway 41 was closed between Highway 46 and Kettleman City.
Information on the reported fatality and the circumstances of the crash were not immediately available.
The collision also sparked a nearby vegetation fire, but that was quickly contained to 1.5 acres, Cal Fire tweeted.
This is the second fatal traffic collision near the Cholame "Y" this year. On April 6, a 60-year-old woman from Paso Robles drifted into the westbound lane for an unknown reason, clipping a vehicle and then colliding head-on with a farm labor van carrying eight people.
The collision killed the Paso Robles woman and the driver of the van, a 45-year-old man from Tulare.
This story was originally published April 30, 2018 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Fatal big rig collision shuts down Highway 41 near Cholame 'Y'."