Fatal crash investigation continues

Coalinga California Highway Patrol investigators are still looking into last week's fatal accident that left one man dead and another in serious condition on Highway 33.

A Toyota pickup truck collided head-on with a Freightliner big rig towing a mobile crane at 5:15 a.m. Thursday when the pickup allegedly veered into the northbound lane, directly into the path of the Freightliner.

Officials identified the victim on Monday as Jesus Ruiz Ortiz, an 18-year-old Avenal man who was killed instantly by blunt force trauma suffered upon impact. His body apparently burned along with the two vehicles following the crash.

The driver of the pickup, Hilario Ruiz-Ortiz, 20, of Salinas, was transported to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno for treatment of a reported broken femur. Authorities at the hospital could not be reached for an update on his condition this morning.

The occupants of the Freightliner were not injured.

Fog is not considered to be a factor in the crash, but CHP officials are hesitant to give an exact cause of the accident at this time.

"Usually with a fatal accident, it takes us about a month to reach a final determination," Coalinga CHP spokesman Justin Perry said. "At this time, we won't be able to say what the primary factor in the crash was and we don't want to speculate."

Early reports indicated that the pickup truck may have been trying to pass a slow-moving sedan when it collided with the big rig in the northbound lane.

An investigation into the accident is still ongoing.

California Highway Patrol officials are asking anyone with additional information regarding this incident to contact the Coalinga area CHP at 935-2093.

(Jan. 13, 2009)