Juvenile probation van, truck involved in fatal Hwy. 190 crash

TIPTON — Two 16-year-olds, a male and female, riding in a Tulare County Probation van with seven others, and the driver of a tire service truck died Tuesday after the two vehicles collided at the intersection of Highway 190 and Road 152.

Two other juveniles were airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, and four additional juveniles and the driver of the van were transported via ambulance to Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, all for major injuries. Their conditions were not known as of late Tuesday.

The names of the victims were being withheld pending notification to family.

The juvenile work crew was en route to the Porterville probation office after a work detail in the Earlimart area, California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Scott Harris said. The juveniles, who were not arrestees, were more than likely working off community service, Harris noted.

According to CHP Lieutenant James Swearingen, at approximately 11 a.m. the driver of the Chevrolet truck, a man in his late 30s, was traveling northbound on Road 152 when he ran a stop sign. The van, which was hauling a small trailer and was eastbound on Highway 190, broadsided the truck, causing both vehicles to travel off the roadway and into a nearby cornfield on the northeast corner of the intersection.

Five of the eight occupants in the van were ejected, including the two who died. The bodies of those who died were concealed under yellow covers.

Black trash bags, a pair of tennis shoes, and several hard helmets laid on the ground, as authorities investigated the tragic collision.   

The accident prompted Caltrans to close Highway 190 at Road 160 and Road 152 at Avenue 152 for several hours.  

The CHP, Tulare County Sheriff’s, Fire, and Roads departments, and several representatives from the Tulare County Probation Department, including Chief Janet Honadle, arrived on scene.

County officials declined to comment at the scene, however, Honadle later released a statement regarding the accident.

“This morning, a Tulare County Probation Department vehicle was involved in a traffic collision at the intersection of Highway 190 and Road 152. While details regarding the accident are under investigation by the California Highway Patrol, reports have confirmed there were fatalities and significant injuries. The Tulare County family is shocked and saddened by this devastating event and our thoughts and prayers go out to all parties involved,” Honadle said in the statement.

CHP officials report neither alcohol nor drugs were a factor in the crash.

It was unknown as of press time if any of the people involved were wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision.

Contact Denise Madrid at 784-5000, Ext. 1047 or dmadrid@portervillerecorder.com.