On Jan. 28, a 39-year-old man was killed and two others were hurt in a four-truck accident on Highway 41 south of Fresno. The accident happened north of Central Avenue around 3 a.m. during a period of heavy fog.

The California Highway Patrol reported the chain-reaction crash began when the driver of a Foster Farms truck carrying live turkeys pulled onto the highway shoulder and exited his rig for unknown reasons. The driver and his truck were then struck by an empty fuel tanker. A pickup up truck and another Foster Farms truck carrying chickens then slammed into the tanker.

The driver of the first Foster Farms truck, a Livingston resident, was pinned under one of the tanker's tires. He suffered massive injuries and was later pronounced dead at Community Regional Medical Center. The driver of the tanker, a 33-year-old Visalia man, suffered major but non-life-threatening injuries. The pickup driver, a 47-year-old Riverdale man, suffered minor injuries. Both men were transported to CRMC for treatment. The 51-year-old driver of the second Foster Farms truck, a Fresno man, was not hurt in the accident.

Highway 41 was shut down for several hours as emergency crews cleared the wreckage and birds from the scene. Police said they were unsure if fog played a role in the accident.

When someone loses their life in a truck accident, their next of kin may wish to pursue a civil lawsuit against the driver who caused the crash. With the help of an attorney, a victim's family could build a strong wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver using police and accident investigation reports. If the suit is successful in court, the family may receive financial compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering before death, burial costs, lost wages and other damages.

Source: fresnobee.com, "Driver dies, another hurt in chain-reaction crash that scatters chickens on Highway 41 south of Fresno," Jim Guy, Jan. 28, 2015

Source: KFSN, "1 killed after 4 trucks crash on Highway 41 in Fresno County," Amanda Venegas, Jan. 28, 2015