Fresno County, CA – According to ABC30 with additional reporting from KSEE, a collision with a semi-truck carrying grapefruit on Thursday evening, May 9, 2024, resulted in the death of a 21-year-old Fresno man identified by the Fresno County Coroner’s office as Cedric Gonzalez.
The sequence of events unfolded when a man driving a big rig attempted to merge onto Highway 41 from South Avenue, resulting in the trailer blocking a northbound lane of the highway. Gonzalez, traveling in a Nissan in the northbound lane, collided with the truck and became pinned underneath its trailer.
Emergency responders pronounced Gonzalez dead at the scene. The driver of the big rig, who was unharmed by the collision, remained at the crash site and cooperated with the investigation.
Wrongful Death Claims
Establishing fault in a collision can depend on multiple factors. Helping to determine legal liability is one of the ways that a personal injury attorney can help grieving families recovering from the loss of a loved one in a traffic accident.
Suppose it is determined that another party holds some portion of responsibility for their loved one’s death. In that case, they may be eligible to file a wrongful death claim with the insurance provider of the at-fault driver. A wrongful death claim can provide compensation to help cover hospital fees, burial costs, and the loss of support for dependents of the deceased.
