Propane truck driver dies after being partially ejected in solo crash in Oakhurst

OAKHURST, Calif. (KFSN) — A crash near Road 222 near Road 220 left one man dead on Sunday.

The man has been identified as 52-year-old Wayne Franklin Pipes.

Authorities said a propane truck driver was heading west at the time of the crash.

“It looks like there was a hard break application. The vehicle veered to its right, ran across the number two lane onto the dirt shoulder, structured dirt shoulder, which cause a vehicle to overturn,” said Oakhurst California Highway Patrol Sgt. Vicente Villegas.

Pipes was wearing his seatbelt but during the crash, he was partially ejected from the truck.

The propane tank was almost empty, but a minor leak in the tank forced CHP to close down parts of Road 222.

As investigators try to determine what led up to the collision, Oakhurst resident Chad Van Ness said he’s grateful it wasn’t worse.

“Those are big propane tanks — if those go up, we wouldn’t be standing right here,” he said.

Van Ness lives near the crash. He said he was sad to see this kind of incident happen so close to his home.

The CHP said collisions in this area happen often. Authorities want to remind people to slow down while on this stretch of road.

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