Fresno, CA, October 7 – Three people were taken to the hospital Tuesday afternoon after a head-on collision between two vehicles on State Route 145 in west Fresno, according to a police report. The crash happened near West McKinley Avenue and was classified as involving major injuries. One person was reported trapped inside a vehicle following the impact. The cause of the collision has not been released.
Three Hospitalized After Head-On Crash on SR-145 in Fresno
The crash occurred at approximately 2:46 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, on State Route 145 near West McKinley Avenue in west Fresno, according to a police report. The collision involved a white four-door vehicle and a white two-door vehicle traveling in opposite directions. The impact left significant damage to both vehicles, and one person was reported trapped inside a vehicle in the middle lane after the crash.
Emergency crews responded quickly to the scene. CAL FIRE personnel and emergency medical services were dispatched to assist those involved and to free the person who had become trapped. Three people were taken to the hospital for treatment of what were classified as major injuries. Two tow trucks were also called to the scene to remove the damaged vehicles from the roadway.
The circumstances that led to the head-on collision remain under investigation, and no additional details about the cause have been released. Authorities have not indicated whether any citations have been issued in connection with the crash.
A number of details about this incident have not yet been made public. The identities and conditions of the three people hospitalized have not been released, nor has information about the extent of their injuries. The identities of the drivers involved have also not been disclosed. As the investigation continues, further information may be released by authorities.
What the at-fault driver is required to carry, and why it often is not enough
Vehicle Code section 16056 sets California’s minimum liability limits, and they changed recently. For a policy issued or renewed on or after 1 January 2025, the minimum is $30,000 for injury to or death of one person, $60,000 where two or more people are hurt, and $15,000 for property damage. Policies written before that date may still carry the older minimum of $15,000, $30,000 and $5,000.
Those are floors, not typical limits, and a single hospital admission can exhaust the lower figure before any other loss is counted. Where the at-fault driver carries the minimum, the uninsured and underinsured motorist cover on the injured person’s own policy is often the part that matters most, and it is worth checking early rather than after the other insurer has made an offer.
The deadline that applies to a claim like this one
Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives two years for an action for injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another. The same two years covers an injury claim and a death claim; there is no separate, shorter period because someone died.
Talking to someone about it
Culver Legal represents people injured in collisions across California. A conversation about what happened costs nothing, and we work on a contingency fee, which means there is no fee unless we win. If we do not win, we do not pass the case costs on to you either.
Nothing on this page is legal advice about any particular case, and the facts of a reported collision often change as the investigation continues.
