NORTH FORK – The 3-way stop at Roads 274 and 225 claimed another victim this afternoon as a Prius got the better of a Ford Expedition.
A 55-year-old man from Fresno was westbound on Road 225 in a 2014 Prius approaching North Fork at about 1:45 p.m., when he failed to stop at the stop sign at Road 274.
A family from Coarsegold was southbound on Road 274 in a 2002 Ford Expedition, and had just entered the intersection when their SUV was hit on the driver’s side rear quarter-panel by the Prius, shoving it across the road and rolling it onto its side.
It is not known just how fast the Prius was going and the time of impact, but the disparity in size between the two, and the position in which the Expedition came to rest may tell the tale.
Everyone came out of it okay, including both drivers, and both passengers in the SUV, one adult female and one minor child. There were some complaints of minor bumps and bruises.
Traffic was only briefly inconvenienced while the Prius was pushed out of the roadway.
There is no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved.
I’ve almost been hit twice in the last few months by folks not even slowing down at the stop when coming down 225. The term “3 way stop” means little, didn’t it used to say “caution, oncoming traffic does not stop” or something to that effect. Both times it was young men in crappy big trucks, maybe they just like to tempt fate but my Prius is liable to put a real hurtin’ on them if they aren’t careful…I almost got the last kid in the driver door while turning to go up 274. Good brakes (mine)saved him.