Madera man dies in crash on Children's Boulevard

Unsafe passing and speed led to a traffic fatality on Children’s Boulevard, east of Road 40 1/2, according the California Highway Patrol.

The crash happened about 3 p.m. Tuesday on a curve approaching Children’s Hospital, in the rural open area south of Rolling Hills.

Officers said Rodney Dean Jones, 58, of Madera, was driving westbound on Children’s Boulevard in a 2007 Hyundai sedan at approximately 65 mph when he briefly lost control on the curve, over corrected and spun directly into the path of an eastbound 2011 Chevy Equinox SUV.

The car driven by Jones was struck in the passenger-side door at 60 mph, causing significant intrusion into the vehicle, according to the CHP. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene. A 38-year-old woman in the eastbound SUV was taken to a Fresno hospital with moderate injuries she sustained in the high-speed crash. Both parties were wearing their seat belts.

Toxicology reports are pending, but alcohol is not being investigated as a factor in the crash at this time, officers said.

The roadway was closed for several hours as emergency crews worked to treat the injured woman and clear the wreckage from the scene.