Central Valley

A solo-vehicle accident early Wednesday in Tulare County near Visalia claimed a man’s life.

The crash occurred at about 1 a.m. on West Street, north of Cartmill Avenue, in an unincorporated region of Tulare County, according to the California Highway Patrol. 

The Visalia Area Office of the California Highway Patrol sent officers to the location to conduct an investigation.

According to their initial findings, a man  was driving a Honda Civic northbound on West Street, north of Cartmill Avenue.

The Honda veered off the road and onto West Street’s east shoulder for an unknown reason and struck a light pole.

FRESNO – A driver who had been allegedly under the influence of alcohol crashed and hit a tree near Visalia, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP believes Gabriel Meza, 31, from Exeter, had been driving eastbound on Highway 198 at Road 180 soon after midnight on Saturday. Officers state he drifted onto the dirt to the south and collided with a tree.

Mesa suffered serious injuries and had to be taken to a nearby hospital.

A Clovis police officer escaped injury early Sunday morning after his patrol car was hit by car and investigators say the driver of the vehicle may have been under the influence.

Investigators believe the driver of the automobile that struck the Clovis police officer’s patrol car early on Sunday morning may have been under the influence of alcohol. Fortunately, the officer was unharmed.

The officer was reportedly sitting in his patrol cruiser, his emergency lights flashing, while he was looking into a collision on Willow, north of Gettysburg, according to the Clovis Police Department. A car sped across the intersection shortly after 1 in the morning, ignoring the cones that were positioned to keep cars away.

According to the department that’s when the other car, driven by 53-year-old Choua Xiong of Fresno, collided with the rear of the patrol car’s driver-side bumper and then fled the scene.

Officers say another Clovis police officer was able to pull Xiong over a block away and take him into custody.  He was booked into the Fresno County Jail for suspicion of DUI and hit & run.

The department says they are grateful no one was injured in the incident and says the officer will be back on duty Sunday night.  They also ask that if anyone would like to report a suspected DUI driver, to please call 9-1-1.