A 49-year-old Lemoore man died Thursday morning after his Chevrolet Camaro was struck by another vehicle near Naval Air Station Lemoore, according to the California Highway Patrol. A 70-year-old Armona man driving the other vehicle, a Kia Soul, was hospitalized in Fresno with major injuries following the crash, which was reported just before 6:30 a.m.
CHP told ABC30 Fresno the crash happened on Highway 198 at Enterprise, outside the air station, when the Camaro driver was leaving the base and turning onto the highway and was hit by the Kia Soul. A separate account from kmph.com places the collision near Highway 198 and 25th Avenue, describing the 70-year-old Armona man as driving a 2017 white Kia Soul westbound on Highway 198, east of Reeves Boulevard, when he failed to stop at a red light. That report identifies the Camaro driver, a 49-year-old Lemoore man, as having been behind the wheel of a black 2023 Chevrolet Camaro heading southbound on Reeves Boulevard before making a left turn into the Kia's path.
Whichever description of the intersection is accurate, the outcome was the same: the Camaro driver died at the scene, per the same kmph.com account. The Kia driver was transported to a hospital in Fresno with major injuries, and his current condition has not been made public.
What Led to the Crash Remains Unclear
Investigators have not said why the Kia driver failed to stop at the light. yourcentralvalley.com reports that the reason behind the failure to stop is still under investigation. It also remains unknown whether alcohol or drugs played any role in the crash, according to the kmph.com report.
Authorities have also not released the identity of the man who was killed, including whether he had any connection to Naval Air Station Lemoore, ABC30 Fresno notes. CHP has not indicated when further details about the crash or those involved might be made public.
Second Deadly Kings County Crash in Recent Months
This is not the only fatal crash near Lemoore that has drawn attention recently. In a separate incident, a woman driving a 2019 Jeep Renegade died on a Thursday night after colliding with a man driving a 2013 Chrysler 300, according to a yourcentralvalley.com report on that crash. Responders in that case were sent to northbound Highway 41 at Fremont Avenue, north of Lemoore, where the Chrysler driver and his passenger suffered minor to moderate injuries. As with Thursday's crash, the identities of those involved in that earlier collision had not been officially released.
