Merced, CA (July 21, 2023) – On Thursday morning, July 20, 2023, tragedy struck Merced County near the North Franklin Road off-ramp in Fergus.
Across Highway 99, a semi-truck tire or axle hit a grey Nissan Frontier pickup truck.
The impact resulted in the death of a 58-year-old Avenal woman, the pickup truck driver.
Fortunately, a 5-year-old child in the vehicle’s back seat remained unharmed.
The California Highway Patrol revealed that the semi-truck No. 4 axle came loose before it halted on the northbound shoulder of Highway 99, south of Franklin Road.
The CHP and Merced Police Department are conducting an ongoing investigation into this tragic accident.