A 4-year-old boy tragically died Friday night in a suspected DUI crash near Cutler, the California Highway Patrol reported. According to news reports in the Fresno Bee, the victim, 4-year-old Angel Lopez, was a passenger in a Toyota driven eastbound on Avenue 440 by Rodolfo Rangle, 32, of Cutler.
Rangle apparently ran a stop sign at the intersection of Avenue 440 and Road 120, and drove into the path of a northbound 2001 Dodge. The driver of the Dodge braked to try and avoid the collision, but the front bumper of the vehicle collided with the right side of the Toyota.
Lopez was flown to Community Regional Medical Center, where he died of his injuries. Rangle was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. It was not clear what the relationship was between Rangle and Lopez. The occupants of the Dodge, Evelyn Hernandez, 55, of Orange Cove, 4-year-old Destiny Raygoza of Visalia and 60-year-old Alice Hernandez of Visalia, were taken to Kaweah Delta Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Please keep the family of Angel Lopez in your prayers as they are grieving the loss of this young, innocent boy. If news reports of this July 23rd accident are true, it is absolutely appalling that a grown adult would knowingly endanger a child by driving under the influence of alcohol.
Cause of the Tulare County Crash
Based on the news reports, it appears that this two-vehicle collision was caused by the suspected drunk driver, Rodolfo Rangle. If news reports are accurate and he is determined to have caused this crash because he was driving under the influence of alcohol, he may be facing criminal charges for his passenger's death and the injuries of the occupants of the Dodge. Additionally, Rangle may be held financially responsible for the serious personal injuries of the occupants of the Dodge, and the wrongful death of his passenger.
While the investigation of this accident is ongoing, the family members of the young boy killed as well as the injured occupants of the Dodge involved in this drunk driving accident would be well-advised to contact a California personal injury attorney who can help them protect their rights to compensation in a personal injury or wrongful death claim. In some situations involving gross negligence, punitive damages to punish the defendant may also be awarded. A law firm that specializes in representing victims of drunk driving accidents can explain all the available resources that the victims' have.
Our Commitment to Ending Drunk Driving
At Estey Bomberger, our personal injury attorneys are advocates to ending the devastation caused by drunk drivers, and holding drunk drivers accountable to the maximum extent for the accidents they cause. We believe that every crash caused by an impaired driver is 100% preventable. Because we have handled so many personal injury and wrongful death claims caused by drunk drivers, we know firsthand that drinking and driving takes innocent lives and destroys families. Visit our website stop-drunk-driving.com for resources about stopping drunk driving and to learn how you can help stop drunk driving in your community. The decision to not drink and drive starts with you.
Sources: KFSN-TV Fresno, Fresno Bee
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