I-5 tractor protest linked to injury accident

I-5 tractor protest linked to injury accident
Written by Business Journal staff
Monday, 15 June 2009 14:49

[img_assist|nid=244|title=I-5 CRASH|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=600|height=338]A morning protest involving up to 50 farm tractors driving on northbound Interstate 5 in Fresno County is believed to have been a factor in a traffic collision between two big rigs today, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Farmers were driving the vehicles in a demonstration to highlight the Valley’s water shortage. The tractors had water signs mounted on them, according to the CHP. The procession stretched several miles in the northbound slow lane.

The accident was reported shortly before 8 a.m. Two hay stacker trucks are believed to be the cause of the accident, which involved one big rig rear-ending another, smashing the cabin and sending the driver by helicopter to a Fresno hospital with major injuries, according to reports.

The CHP reported that all the farm vehicles left the interstate around 11 a.m. The traffic accident was cleared around 1 p.m., with all of the debris moved to an orchard on the side of the interstate.

In a separate report around 9:40 a.m., two vehicles on northbound I-5 near the original accident collided, with one experiencing a rollover, according to the CHP, causing minor injuries.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 June 2009 08:15