WINTERHAVEN, CA: Three people died after a head on accident between a semi tractor trailer and a pick up truck in Winterhaven, CA. The collision happened in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 8 near Winterhaven Drive. The area is in Imperial County, in the southernmost section of eastern California, 270 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 187 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona, close to the borders of Baja California and Mexico.
According to the California Highway Patrol Officer Steven Gronbach, the truck accident happened on Thursday morning when Gary Sharbono, 67 years old of Glendale, AZ was driving the Ford F250 pick up truck west in the fast lane of I-8, close to the Winterhaven exit. His 38 year old son Christopher, also a resident of Glendale, was a passenger in the truck.
At around 11:30 a.m. the left rear tire of the Ford pick up apparently blew out, lost air and deflated, causing Mr. Sharbono to suddenly lose control of the vehicle. The pick up moved across the center divider median and into the eastbound lanes of I-8, directly into the path of the oncoming semi truck.
The truck driver was unable to maneuver to avoid a collision and hit the pick up head on, in the location west of Winterhaven Drive. The driver of the semi truck, later identified as 56 year old Andrew Kubal of Staten Island, NY, suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene of the truck accident. Mr. Sharbono and his son Christopher also sustained fatal injuries and both died at the scene, according to Jesus Lara, the Imperial County Deputy Coroner.
Highway officials closed part of I-8 and rerouted traffic off the highway to a side frontage road. Sections of the highway remained closed for hours as workers from CalTrans cleared the area of the wreckage debris and officials investigated the truck accident. The eastbound lanes were reopened for traffic at 5:00 p.m. Thursday.
In addition to the California Highway Patrol emergency teams from several departments responded to the truck accident, including the Imperial County Fire Department and Coroners office, and the Rural Metro Fire Department from nearby Yuma, AZ.
Crash site investigators remained on the scene until about 5:00 p.m. Thursday evening. They determined that the blown tire on the Ford pick up was the initial catalyst for the truck accident, and do not believe Mr. Sharbono was speeding at the time of the collision.
Are you looking for a Winterhaven, CA truck accident attorney? Our lawyers are ready to fight for you! If you've been injured by a truck accident in Winterhaven, CA give us a call today at 800-773-6770.
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