Fresno, CA : 13-year-old boy dead and two people injured following a single vehicle crash early Thursday morning, Sep 3, 2015

A 13-year-old boy is dead and two people are in the hospital following a single vehicle crash early Thursday morning.

Adam Barresi, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, said the accident happened around 3:30 a.m. Baressi said a 2006 Toyota Camry was speeding northbound on 9 1/4 Avenue near Van Court when the driver lost control. The car veered off the east edge of the road, struck a power pole and overturned several times.

The 13-year-old boy who was sitting in the right rear seat suffered major injuries. Barresi said the boy was airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno where he was pronounced dead. His name has not been released.

Barresi said the driver, Jimmie Lee Love III, 20, reportedly fled the scene. Authorities apprehended Love on Thursday afternoon.

Love was booked into the Kings County Jail. Information regarding charges recommended against Love was not immediately available.

The left rear passenger, a 15-year-old boy, suffered major injuries and was also taken to CRMC.

The front passenger, a 20-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and was transported to Adventist Medical Center for treatment. Barresi said the man was wearing a seat belt.

It’s unknown whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the accident, Barresi said.

Southern California Edison spokesman Brian Thoburn said the damaged power pole left 639 customers without power. SCE workers have been repairing the damaged equipment.

Thoburn said the company expected to restore power to all of the affected customers by 5 p.m. Thursday.

Barresi said Thursday’s incident makes the 10th fatal traffic accident this year, with a total of 15 people killed. At this time last year, there had been just three fatal accidents and three victims.

“I think all of last year we had six fatal traffic collisions and six victims,” Barresi said.

Unfortunately, Barresi said, 10 to 15 fatal accidents per year are common for the region. There were a total of 12 deaths and 10 crashes in 2013. Sixteen people were killed in 15 crashes in 2012.

Source:

Boy killed in morning crash, driver arrested