OAKHURST – One lane of Highway 41 in Oakhurst was blocked for a short time this morning after a three-vehicle accident near Hodges Hill Drive.
At 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, Donald Setaro, Jr., 48, of Oakhurst, was southbound on Highway 41 in a 2015 U-Haul truck approaching the north end of Hodges Hill Drive.
Mr. Setaro had signaled for a left turn into the UHaul parking lot, and had come to a stop and was waiting for traffic to clear. Austin Wyrick, 21, of Oakhurst, was also southbound and stopped his 2007 GMA Canyon behind the UHaul to wait for the truck to turn.
Loyd Waters, 87, of Oakhurst, was also southbound, and later told CHP he was distracted by the scenery. When he noticed the other vehicles stopped in the roadway in front of him, he applied the brakes, but was unable to stop his 2007 Saturn Vue. According to CHP, Waters ran into the back on the Wyrick’s GMC, shoving it into the UHaul truck. The resulting collision caused the Saturn to catch fire.
Audra Cole, of Ahwahnee, witnessed the crash and helped Mr. Waters get out of the burning Saturn, while another resident grabbed a fire extinguisher and put the fire out prior to emergency vehicles arriving on scene.
Cal Trans arrived within minutes, and assisted with one-lane traffic control as the drivers were evaluated and officers conducted their investigation.
Wyrick suffered what were described by CHP as minor injuries to his hand, and was transported by Sierra Ambulance to Clovis Community Hospital.
