Four people were killed and one other was injured Wednesday night, September 3, 2026, when a GMC Sierra pickup ran a stop sign and slammed into a Honda CR-V at the intersection of Road 9 and Avenue 21 in unincorporated Madera County, near Chowchilla. The California Highway Patrol says the GMC was headed east on Avenue 21 around 8:39 p.m. when its driver failed to stop, colliding with the Honda, which was traveling north on Road 9 carrying five people. The impact killed four of the Honda’s occupants at the scene; the fifth person in the car was injured. CHP has not released the condition of the two occupants of the GMC. The crash remains under investigation, and officials have not said whether drugs or alcohol were factors.
ABC30 Fresno (KFSN-TV) identified the four people killed as 42-year-old Pedro Chavez Garcia, his 13-year-old son Pedro Chavez, 36-year-old Gerardo Ramirez Aguilar and 52-year-old Cayetano Beyza-Mendoza, all Merced County residents. The outlet reported that one survivor remained in the Honda CR-V, though the extent of that person’s injuries was not disclosed. BakersfieldNow (KBAK/KBFX) separately confirmed the CHP account that the GMC Sierra struck the driver’s side of the Honda with enough force to cause major damage. Investigators have not said whether either driver was cited, and no court date has been reported.
