Madera CHP receives $130k traffic safety grant to be used for education and enforcement

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- The California Highway Patrol says 106 deaths were caused by crashes successful the Madera country betwixt 2020 and 2023.

The bureau precocious received $130,000 successful assistance wealth to assistance combat these deadly statistic and marque roads and highways successful the region safer.

That's invited quality to Maria Balch, who's been warring to marque roads harmless successful Madera County since she was successful a crash.

"When I was successful the infirmary aft my car accident, I made a committedness that if God kept maine live that, helium kept maine present for a reason, and I was going to marque definite to fight," said Balch.

About six years ago, Balch was pushed into oncoming postulation by different conveyance portion she was stopped connected Avenue 12 adjacent Highway 41.

"As they were pulling maine into a harmless archetypal spot, the car blew up successful beforehand of me," said Balch.

The California Highway Patrol Madera country bureau says that successful summation to the fatal crashes, much than 2,600 radical person been injured due to the fact that of car collisions.

"It is precise heartbreaking, arsenic we spoke earlier, this is 100% preventable," said CHP Madera spokesperson Sergio Moreno.

The Fatal Reduction for Education and Enforcement grant, besides known arsenic FREE, from the California Office of Traffic Safety. The assistance volition supply other officers to screen highways 145, 152, 99 and Highway 41, including agrarian unincorporated roads.

Moreno says they anticipation to see assemblage outreach to amended radical connected the rules of the roads.

"This assistance volition let america to not conscionable deploy further officers to retired connected patrol, but to trim fatalities and injuries that effect from crashes," said Moreno.

On Friday, C-H-P Madera responded to different fatal clang connected Highway 41 adjacent Children's Boulevard.

Investigators accidental a car slammed into the backmost of different conveyance portion they were stopped by traffic.

This created a concatenation collision. The driver, who is believed to beryllium astatine fault, was taken to the hospital, wherever they aboriginal died.

After years of warring for safer streets, Balch hopes radical recognize the value of pursuing postulation rules.

"Is it worthy that velocity to spell head-on with idiosyncratic and either termination yourself oregon idiosyncratic else? You could've killed me. It could've killed someone's mom, wife, daughter, and for nothing," said Balch.

The assistance wealth is expected to past until September 2025.

CHP Madera says they volition apt hunt for caller assistance opportunities erstwhile this assets is exhausted.

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