Garbage Truck Runs Red Light, Collides With SUV at Friant and Shepherd

A City of Fresno sanitation truck ran a red light and struck an SUV at the intersection of Friant Road and Shepherd Avenue in north Fresno just before noon Wednesday, Feb. 25, city video shows. The collision was captured by the Friant Roulette traffic webcam and involved a single sanitation vehicle and one SUV; witnesses and footage indicate the truck entered the intersection against the signal.

The Friant Roulette webcam has recorded multiple incidents at Friant and Shepherd, and the intersection is repeatedly flagged on local feeds for red-light crashes. Video and still images from the scene show the sanitation truck applying its brakes before impact, a braking action that observers said reduced the force of the collision and limited visible damage to both vehicles.

No injuries were reported at the scene and no ambulances were noted in available footage. Emergency crews cleared the intersection after the crash, but traffic remained disrupted for more than an hour as tow and cleanup activity took place and lanes were reopened. Photographs and a short video clip of the incident were posted to the local traffic feed and circulated with the footage.

A Facebook commenter identifying himself as Junior Borja wrote about what he saw at the scene: “the garbage truck RAN A RED LIGHT. you can see the SUV clearly stop when they realized the garbage truck went through the RED LIGHT.” That post echoed what is visible in the webcam clip and matched the on-camera sequence in which the SUV appears to stop before contact.

Several details remain unconfirmed: no driver names, unit numbers, police report number, citations, or statements from the City of Fresno sanitation division were available in the materials reviewed. The crash occurred just before noon on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and the scene photos and video were captured and posted shortly afterward. Reporters seeking confirmation will request the official crash report from Fresno law enforcement, statement from City of Fresno Public Works or sanitation services about the vehicle and driver, and the full Friant Roulette footage with timestamps to document signal phase and vehicle positions.