This month, California has seen its fair share of fatal accidents involving FedEx trucks. In Cabazon and Coalinga, FedEx truck drivers failed to notice that traffic had stopped in front of them, resulting in serious collisions. Another California FedEx accident in Sacramento left a CHP officer with serious injuries.
California FedEx Accident on Interstate 10 Kills One, Others Injured
May 11, 2016
The driver of a flatbed truck was killed and two other people were injured on Wednesday morning in a crash involving a stalled flatbed truck and a double FedEx tractor-trailer. The fatal California FedEx accident was reported on May 11 at around 10:52 a.m. on the eastbound side of Interstate 10 in the Cabazon area.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the series of events that led to the fatal truck crash began when a flatbed truck stopped in the number three lane of I-10 for unknown reasons. The driver got out of the truck and stood on the bed, where he waved his arms in an effort to direct traffic around the stalled vehicle.
As CHP officials were on their way to the scene, a FedEx truck driver failed to see the stalled flatbed and slammed into the back of the trailer, killing the flatbed driver. Officials have identified the deceased victim as 59-year-old Miguel Rolon of Thermal. According to the Banning-Beaumont Patch, two people in the FedEx truck sustained minor injuries.
At this time, it is unclear what caused the California FedEx accident. CHP officials are still investigating.
CHP Officer Sustains Serious Injuries in California FedEx Accident
May 7, 2016
The driver of a FedEx truck responsible for striking a California Highway Patrol officer has been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence. The California FedEx accident was reported at around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 7 along Highway 50 between 15th Street and 16th Street in Sacramento.
According to the Sacramento Bee, 18-year CHP veteran Vincent Smith was working to clear an earlier hit-and-run accident on an elevated portion of Highway 50 with another officer when the FedEx truck approached the scene. Officer Smith had the emergency lights of his patrol SUV engaged, and was moving one of the disabled vehicles off the road when he was struck by the FedEx truck.
Officer Smith was rushed to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento in serious condition after sustaining major upper-body injuries. Four days after the crash, he remains in the intensive care unit listed in serious condition, according to various reports.
The FedEx truck driver, who has been identified as 41-year-old Gregory Anthony Ramirez of San Lorenzo, was taken into custody and booked in the Sacramento County Jail for felony DUI causing injury charges, as well as possession of narcotics and unlawfully under the influence of a controlled substance.
Ramirez faced a Sacramento judge from inside a courtroom cell on Tuesday, May 10. His bail was set at $55,000 with the understanding that if the 41-year-old driver made bail, he was not to get behind the wheel with any measurable amounts of drugs or alcohol in his system.
The California FedEx accident on May 7 is the latest in a string of Sacramento incidents involving CHP officers. Last month, CHP officer Michael Ericson was critically injured after a man allegedly backed over the veteran officer with a stolen truck on the median of Interstate 80. The driver of the allegedly stolen truck, 28-year-old Austin Barry Scott, was pursued by authorities in a chase into Solano County, where he was eventually arrested near Fairfield.
In March, CHP officer Nathan Daniel Taylor was struck and killed by a car on an icy Interstate 80 near Donner Summit. Officer Taylor was investigating a traffic collision at the time.
California FedEx Accident in Coalinga Kills One, Four Others Injured
May 6, 2016
A FedEx truck viciously rear-ended a pickup truck and a number of other vehicles on Friday, May 8, killing an 18-year-old Ridgecrest man and critically injuring his girlfriend. The fatal California FedEx Accident happened at around 11:00 a.m. on Interstate 5 near State Route 198 in Coalinga.
According to the Ridgecrest Daily Independent, 18-year-old James Stewart was giving his girlfriend a ride to her grandfather’s funeral in Fresno Friday morning, driving a white pickup truck. As they were making their way through Coalinga, they encountered traffic that was stopped due to a fallen power line.
At this time, a large FedEx truck approached the scene. The driver of the FedEx truck reportedly failed to notice that traffic had slowed to a stop and collided with the pickup truck. Stewart was killed instantly. His girlfriend, who has not been identified, was airlifted from the scene with major injuries.
Five other vehicles were involved in the California FedEx accident, though it is unknown whether or not anyone else sustained serious injuries.
James Stewart had recently graduated from Burroughs High School in 2015 and was studying welding at Cerro Coso Community College whilst also working part-time at AutoZone. He was well-liked in his community and “lived to make other people happy,” according to his father John.
At this time, it is unclear whether the FedEx truck driver will face charges for the accident. An investigation is ongoing.
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