MADERA COUNTY – A head-on collision on Highway 41 just north of Road 207 near Blackhawk Lodge closed Highway 41 for nearly two hours during the evening commute on Monday, Jan. 6.
Just after 6 p.m., Tuohan Yin, 26, of Fullerton, CA, was southbound on SR-41, when he drifted off the right shoulder of the road and struck a large boulder, according to CHP.
Yin then steered back to the left, causing his 2008 Ford Taurus X SUV to overturn, blocking the roadway.
Edward Roundtree, 73, of Coarsegold, was northbound in a 1992 Lexus LS400, and was unable to react in time to avoid crashing into the overturned SUV.
Roundtree was transported to St. Agnes in Fresno with minor injuries.
Qi Vhao, 25, and Yuan Hao, 27, also of Fullerton, were passengers in the Taurus, and both sustained injuries.
Vhao was transported by Sierra Ambulance from the scene to the Park & Ride at Highway 41 and Road 200, where CHP Helicopter H40 had set down. From there, Vhao was airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Both lanes of Highway 41 were closed down as first responders tended to the injured and readied them for transport, and officers conducted their investigation and worked to get the road cleared.
With traffic backed up for miles in both directions, tow trucks from Doc’s and Bulldog Towing had a tough time just getting to the scene. The large amount of debris and fluids from both vehicles also slowed the cleanup efforts, and commuters were stuck for nearly two hours, waiting for traffic to start moving again.
Pistoresi Ambulance out of Madera also responded to the incident, and Cal Trans was called out to implement traffic control.
Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.
