Fresno woman identified in fatal hit-and-run at Chestnut and Belmont

Precious Williams, 40, of Fresno, died after a hit-and-run collision at Chestnut and Belmont avenues left her with major injuries to her head and upper torso and sent officers searching for the driver who fled.

The Fresno County Coroner’s Office identified Williams as the victim after the crash, which happened around 10:30 p.m. Friday, May 29, in east-central Fresno. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she later died. Fresno police had not announced an arrest as of the latest update.

The crash turned one of Fresno’s better-known arterial intersections into a fatal scene. Chestnut and Belmont carry steady commuter and local traffic through East Central Fresno, and collisions there can ripple beyond the immediate intersection by slowing traffic, disrupting nearby neighborhoods and increasing the risk for people walking or crossing the area late at night.

Police have said the driver fled after hitting Williams, but they have not publicly explained what led up to the collision or what may have caused the driver to run. That silence leaves the case in an all-too-familiar holding pattern for hit-and-run investigations: a victim is identified, a family is notified and detectives work to determine who was behind the wheel.

For people trying to understand what happens next, the Fresno Police Department says collision reports can be obtained through its Records Section, either online for a fee or in person through the department’s Records Lobby. Those reports may eventually shed light on road conditions, witness statements and whether investigators believe speed, distraction or some other factor played a role.

The crash also fits into a larger traffic-safety pattern. The California Office of Traffic Safety maintains statewide crash and injury data, and the Governors Highway Safety Association reported preliminary 2024 U.S. pedestrian-fatality data of 7,148 deaths, still far above pre-2016 levels. For Fresno, the death of a 40-year-old resident at a major city intersection is a reminder that hit-and-run cases are not abstract statistics. They are sudden losses that leave questions about enforcement, street design and whether enough is being done to stop the next driver from fleeing.