Footage shows tow truck crash that killed sedan driver in Fresno
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – After a mother was tragically killed in a car crash outside Clovis on Memorial Day, the 22-year-old driver of the vehicle that crashed into her is now facing criminal charges. The incident comes after a similar crash in Fresno in April where footage shows a tow truck going through a red light and crashing into a passing vehicle killing the driver – however, no criminal charges have been filed in that incident.
An attorney for the family of the young woman who was killed in a crash involving a tow truck on Friant Road in Fresno filed a civil complaint in the Fresno County Superior Court on Friday, May 8. The complaint alleges the driver of the tow truck, identified in the civil complaint as John Ashcraft, who was employed by 1st Class Tow, had taken a controlled substance within 24 hours before the crash that killed 22-year-old Amaya Chenot. The crash happened on April 12th in the early morning hours.
Criminal charges are being filed against 22-year-old Wallowa Bates who ran a stop sign at International and Minnewawa Avenues, crashing into another car that took the life of 45-year-old Jennifer Ellis, while her two young children were in the car. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office says she is due in court on June 20.
So why is one facing criminal charges – when the other is not?
“Here it seems to be a pretty clear-cut case,” said Mark King, a private criminal defense attorney. “I think the DA’s office was pretty clear right away about what they wanted to do with this case.”
Officials stated that Bates crashed into another car colliding with 45-year-old Jennifer Ellis, who had an 8-year-old and 10-year-old in the back seat, but Ellis did not survive.
Mark King, a Private Criminal Defense Attorney, says this seems like a pretty clear-cut case.
“If you’re driving 60 or 70 or 80 mph in an area where the speed limit is 45 mph that would be considered gross negligence because that would be a significant deviation from what a reasonable person would do,” said King. “Many of us have blown through a stop sign and red lights before where our minds were on something else or maybe we looked at our phones for a moment… and if you were traveling at a normal speed when you did that, that wouldn’t be considered gross negligence.”
King also added that he had looked at the tow truck video and said it did not seem like or look like the Ashcraft was traveling at a high rate of speed, he even hits his brakes to try to stop.
“The tow truck crash was just a tragic accident. It was not manslaughter or gross negligence as it seems like the tow truck driver tried to stop but it was too late,” says King.
King says that the maximum Bates could receive is six years in prison, and it would be unlikely to happen in this case because officers say no alcohol or drugs were involved.
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