O’NEALS – Two drivers are under arrest for DUI this evening after both crashed their trucks near Minarets High School during a failed passing maneuver.
Just before 7 p.m., Elijah Johnson, 27, of Coarsegold was eastbound in a GMC pickup on Road 200 about a mile east of Highway 41. Right behind him, in a Chevy pickup, was Bo Lewis, 31, of North Fork.
According to CHP at the scene, Lewis was attempting to pass Johnson at an unknown rate of speed, but Johnson inched over into his lane. The two trucks made contact which caused both drivers to lose control.
Both trucks went careening off the right side of the road and crashed through a pasture fence. Lewis’s truck traveled about 120 feet up a hill and apparently crashed into a rock before smashing into a large oak tree. Three of the wheels were torn off the truck, with one coming to rest about 100 feet from the vehicle.
Johnson’s truck came to rest on top of the fence about 30 feet off the roadway, with the back left wheel blown off and laying against a tree in the pasture. Neither driver suffered any serious injuries.
Passersby stopped at the scene and witnessed Johnson heading off into the field. About 15 minutes after CHP arrived, Johnson came walking back out of the dark from up in the pasture.
Both drivers were determined to be under the influence of alcohol and were placed under arrest for DUI.
Madera County Sheriff’s deputies also responded to assist. The accident remains under investigation.
