Three drivers hospitalized after red-light crash in northwest Fresno

A red-light violation at one of northwest Fresno’s busiest crossroads sent three drivers to the hospital Friday afternoon, bringing fresh attention to the intersection near Fig Garden Loop and Fig Garden Village.

Fresno police said the crash happened around 3 p.m. at Herndon and Brawley avenues. Sgt. Diana Trueba Vega said a Honda SUV traveling east on Herndon Avenue ran the red light and hit two other vehicles in the intersection.

All three drivers were hospitalized after the collision. Police did not immediately release the extent of their injuries, and the crash remained under investigation.

The scene sits in a heavily traveled part of northwest Fresno, where Herndon Avenue carries steady traffic past shopping centers, neighborhood streets and the Fig Garden area. The location, near Fig Garden Loop, is a familiar one for drivers moving between commercial corridors and residential blocks, making the timing and setting of the crash especially disruptive for afternoon traffic.

Police have not said whether speed, road design or visibility played a role, but the report that a driver entered the intersection against a red light points to the kind of split-second mistake that can turn a routine drive into a multi-vehicle crash. In a corridor like Herndon, where traffic volumes are high and turning movements are frequent, one missed signal can send vehicles across several lanes and into other drivers who had the right of way.

Trueba Vega said the Honda SUV struck two other vehicles after entering the intersection eastbound on Herndon. Investigators are still sorting out the sequence of events and any additional factors that may have contributed.

For Fresno drivers, the crash is another reminder of how quickly danger can build at a major intersection near Fig Garden Loop, where daily traffic depends on signals being obeyed and drivers paying close attention as they move through northwest Fresno.