Kerman Man Identified as Victim of Suspected DUI Crash on Kearney Boulevard

Braulio Gonzalez Amayo, a 53-year-old Kerman man, was thrown from his car and killed Saturday evening after his Chevrolet Malibu veered off Kearney Boulevard near Dickerson Avenue and hit a palm tree, in what California Highway Patrol investigators are calling a suspected DUI crash.

CHP officers arrived at the scene just after 5 p.m. The agency's preliminary investigation found Amayo driving westbound on Kearney at a high rate of speed when his Malibu drifted south, left the roadway, and struck a palm tree on the south shoulder. Amayo was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle on impact. He was pronounced dead at the scene. CHP identified him publicly Monday.

Alcohol is believed to be a factor, investigators said. The full investigation into the crash's circumstances remains ongoing, with toxicology results expected to inform CHP's final determination.

The crash fell within a stretch of Kearney Boulevard running west through Fresno County farm country that has seen repeated DUI fatalities. The same week, the Fresno Police Department conducted a DUI checkpoint Friday night from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. at an undisclosed location. On March 23, Fresno police arrested 10 drivers on suspicion of impaired driving during a checkpoint at Clinton and Weber avenues, where officers contacted 322 vehicles. That kind of enforcement volume reflects how persistent the problem is across the county, including along corridors like Kearney where CHP holds primary jurisdiction.

When a DUI crash kills someone else, California prosecutors typically charge the driver with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated under Penal Code 191.5. Drivers with a prior DUI conviction who cause a fatal crash can face second-degree murder charges under what courts call the Watson rule, drawn from a California Supreme Court decision establishing that a repeat drunk driver who kills someone acts with implied malice. Because Amayo was himself the driver, no such charges are expected in this case.

Anyone who observes a suspected impaired driver on Kearney Boulevard or surrounding Westside roads can report it immediately by calling 911, providing the vehicle's direction of travel, license plate if visible, and approximate speed. Uber and Lyft both serve the Kerman-to-Fresno route for those looking to avoid driving after drinking.

The CHP investigation into Amayo's death remains open.