Driver loses control of pickup truck before it rolls, kills three in Visalia, CHP says

Three people were killed when a truck overturned off of a freeway in Visalia on Monday, the California Highway Patrol said.

The ages of the victims were not available, but two of them were male and one was female, CHP said in a news release.

The male driver of a 2004 Ford F-350 was headed west on Highway 198 approaching Plaza Drive at about 3:45 a.m., CHP said.

For unknown reasons, the driver allowed the truck to veer off of the highway to the left into a dirt median, CHP said.

He over-corrected back to the right before losing control of the truck, CHP said.

The truck went off the right side of Highway 198 and overturned multiple times, CHP said.

The driver and one of the passengers were not restrained and were ejected from the truck as it rolled, CHP said. The second passenger was wearing a seatbelt, but all three were pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of the fatal crash remained under investigation Monday, and CHP said it was not immediately clear if the driver was impaired.

The victims’ names were held pending the notification of the next of kin.