The two people killed in a two-vehicle crash in Fresno County on Monday have been identified as 56-year-old Diego Garcia Tepec of Fresno and 57-year-old Juan Ortega Juarez.
The California Highway Patrol says they received a call around 7:50 a.m. about a crash on Lincoln Avenue between Cornelia and Blythe avenues, in a remote, agricultural area west of Easton.
According to CHP, Tepec was driving a Nissan Sentra west on Lincoln Avenue, followed by a Honda Civic driven by a 36-year-old Fresno man.
As they drove, a large cloud of dust from almond harvesting in an orchard south of Lincoln Avenue heavily reduced visibility.
Tepec was driving in the dust cloud when the Honda entered the area and rear-ended the Nissan.
The impact trapped Tepec and Juarez inside the Nissan.
After the collision, the Nissan continued west on Lincoln, coming to rest 200 to 300 feet from the point of impact. The Honda came to rest in an orchard north of the road.
When emergency services arrived, they found that Tepec and Juarez were dead at the scene.
The driver of the Honda suffered severe injuries and was taken to Community Regional Medical Center for treatment.
The two victims and the Honda driver were all wearing seatbelts.
Alcohol and drugs do not appear to be factors in the crash.
The crash remains under investigation.
A GoFundMe has been created by Diego’s family to help raise money for his funeral. If you’d likle to support, click here.