SHAFTER, Calif. (KERO) — A Kern County Sheriff’s deputy is now on leave after a deadly crash at Lerdo Highway and Magnolia Avenue, killing an 88-year-old woman. A resident who lives near the intersection says it’s a hotbed for accidents, but the first he’s seen involving a law enforcement officer.
The resident said he heard the March 22nd crash while he was in his home and came out to see what had happened, noting that both cross streets are major arteries for Sheriff’s Office vehicles.
According to a California Highway Patrol release, Deputy Juan Cuevas was driving his patrol car southbound on Magnolia Avenue, crossing Lerdo Highway, when he was broadsided by the driver of a Nissan Altima that was traveling eastbound on Lerdo Highway. 88-year-old Maria Cervantes Vasquez of Shafter was a passenger in the Altima, and days later, she died on March 28th due to her injuries…