An Avenal man briefly hospitalized following a fatal car crash on Laurel and 18th avenues Thursday afternoon was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving without a license.

Investigators said that Ismael Juarez, 34, drove through a stop sign while heading east on Laurel Avenue at more than 55 mph. His 1999 Dodge Caravan crashed into the side of a southbound Ford Taurus, sending both vehicles off the roadway into a field of alfalfa.

The right-front passenger of the Taurus, Phil Brown, 70, from Oceano, was pronounced dead at the scene. Due to the severity of damage inflicted on the right side of the car, Kings County firefighters were forced to use the Jaws of Life to extract Brown's body from the wreckage.

Brown's wife, 71-year-old Annie Medina, was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash. She was transported to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno for treatment. Hospital officials said this morning that she was in fair condition, despite suffering major injuries in the wreck.

Highway patrol cars and emergency medical services personnel partially blocked 18th Avenue just south of Laurel Avenue as they attempted to get the victim to safety and clear the area. The Taurus left the roadway after impact and traveled more than 30 yards before coming to rest. 

Debris littered the roadway where the vehicles collided and had to be swept away before the road could reopen. Among the discarded items were the minivan's license plate, a dairy breeders guide book and a small card depicting Jesus Christ carrying a cross.

Juarez was booked into the Kings County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail. Jail records indicate that he was released from the facility three hours after being brought in.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(Feb. 27, 2009)