Fatal crash in Fresno puts spotlight on intersection some call deadly and confusing

Passing through the intersection of Friant and Shepherd avenues in northeast Fresno can be a treacherous journey where drivers run the red light daily, according to a father and son who track it.

Residents close to the intersection since 1992, Dan Wells and his son, Cory, run Friant Roulette, a YouTube page where they post videos of the accidents and red light runners.

The page name and image likens the intersection to Russian roulette, a potentially deadly game of chance.

“It’s always been an issue,” Dan Wells said. “We hear it every night. We hear every wreck.”

The latest crash drew extra attention to the section of road Wednesday, when 22-year-old Amaya Chenot was killed in a crash with a tow truck. The truck, video shows, appears to blow through a red light before T-boning her car.

Dan Wells compared the sound of the collision to a train crash.

The Wellses say some of the lights are confusing for drivers headed north on Friant. The Shepherd intersection has a green arrow for those looking to turn right though the northbound traffic light may be red, which can give drivers the impression they have a green light, they said.

Adding to that issue is the sound wall along Friant, Cory Wells said. “The sound barrier wall creates a blind spot,” he said. “People don’t see the cross traffic.”

The Wellses said the crashes have grown in number and severity on the 50-mph road as more homes are built north of it and Table Mountain Casino has grown.

Recent years have seen deadly crashes nearby though not at that exact intersection.

A cyclist was killed Jan. 12, 2022, in a collision with a truck in a busy intersection next to Woodward Park at Friant Road and East Audubon Drive in north Fresno, police said.

A 10-year-old boy was struck and killed June 18, 2021, near North Friant and Fort Washington roads, which is near an entrance to Woodward Park.

Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, who represents the district, said he doesn’t believe the Friant-Shepherd intersection has a stoplight issue. The city has some intersections — for example Shaw and Blackstone avenues — where drivers routinely run the red light.

He said the cure is for people to follow the rules and, if they don’t, be punished for reckless driving. The city beefed up its traffic unit recently for that reason as well as breaking up sideshows, he said.

“There’s too many people who think it’s OK to run red lights and like to text, and cause problems on our streets,” Bredefeld said. “Those that violate our traffic laws and drive recklessly, as seen (Wednesday), they must be held accountable.”

He said he’s asked city staffers to look into the possibility of lowering the speed limit there, but it’s not immediately clear what can be done if leaders go that route.

Bredefeld said the video showed the tow truck driver involved in the crash this week had a clear red light.

The tow truck driver could face criminal charges as the investigation was ongoing, but he had not been accused of any wrongdoing as of Thursday, according to Sgt. Diana Trueba Vega.

The Wellses pushed back against Bredefeld’s assertions, saying in their five months of tracking crashes and red light runners on video, all of the problems happen on the northbound side with the green right turn arrows.

The say the problem goes beyond bad driving.

“If that was true, there would be accidents and red light runners in the southbound traffic,” Dan Wells said. “It’s always northbound.”