Tragically, on Friday, February 23, in Madera, California, authorities reported that eight men lost their lives in a head-on collision involving two vehicles.

The California Highway Patrol disclosed that a total of nine men were in the crash, with one passenger being the sole survivor.

At approximately 6:15 a.m., the driver of a black Chevrolet pickup truck collided with a GMC van carrying eight occupants.

The collision occurred after the pickup truck swerved erratically on the two-lane highway in Madera, situated approximately 25 miles northwest of Fresno, according to police.

A rear-seat passenger in the van survived the crash and was transported to a local hospital, where he is expected to recover from his injuries.

As per the Associated Press, only two individuals in the van had seatbelts on, USA Today reported.

CHP Officer Javier Ruvalcaba remarked, “If they had been wearing their seatbelts, the rear passengers would have probably survived.”

The occupants of the van were farmworkers en route to their workplace at a nearby vineyard, located approximately five miles from the crash site, as reported by the Associated Press.

Written by B.C. Begley