Pitman Farm truck involved in fatal accident

FRESNO COUNTY – The truck involved in the fatal crash at Pitman Family Farms in Sanger last February was part of a Pitman-owned fleet that has been cited for numerous Department of Transportation violations over the past two years, including unsafe driving, failure to comply with HOS regulations, driver fitness and vehicle maintenance.

On February 21, 2024, shortly after midnight, 19-year-old Pitman Farms employee Jose Abrego was washing a heavy-duty truck at the company’s Sanger processing plant. Another employee, unaware that Abrego was at the front of the truck, moved the vehicle forward. It is not clear if the other employee was in the truck while Abrego washed it or if he got in later. Nor is it clear if the vehicle’s engine was already running or if the other employee started it.

Abrego died after becoming trapped under the vehicle. His clothing apparently caught on part of the truck’s fender and was pulled under the vehicle.

Sanger Police body camera footage taken at the scene showed the company’s Department of Transportation (DOT) number printed on the truck’s passenger door. The truck turned out to be owned by Western Grain & Milling Inc. (WGM).

According to the California Secretary of State’s website, the agent listed for WGM is Richard J. Pitman, who is also listed as the agent for Pitman Family Farms. The company’s first filing date is listed on the website as December 10, 1987.

A search for WGM on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) website shows that the company owns 145 vehicles and employs 145 drivers. According to FMCSA, WGM has had 270 inspections in the last two years. FMCSA is part of the Department of Transportation.

The FMCSA uses the Safety Measurement System (SMS) to rate and evaluate a company’s safety performance over a two-year period. WGM’s evaluation period ended on May 31, 2024. According to the DOT, the company had over 200 violations between June 16, 2022, and May 25, 2024.

The rating takes into account seven categories: unsafe driving, accident indicator, HOS compliance, vehicle maintenance, controlled substances and alcohol, Hazardous Materials Compliance, and driver fitness. Accident indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance are not publicly available.

SMS also weights the severity of each violation. For example, speeding 15 miles or texting while driving is given a 10-point rating—WGM has two of those. Being prohibited from performing safety-related functions due to drugs or alcohol is also given a 10-point rating—WGM has one of those violations.

Most of WGM’s violations were rated five points or less. The violations included failure to provide trailer or document numbers or other administrative tasks. However, the company was cited 11 times for improperly adjusted brakes. WGM was cited 17 times for tire problems – flat or with audible air loss. The company also had 11 violations related to non-functioning brakes. In this category, the number of defective brakes is at least 20% of the service brakes of the vehicle or vehicle combination.

Regarding brakes, WGM recorded nearly 90 brake-related violations.

ABREGO

According to the police report filed after Abrego’s death, noise, poor lighting and the lack of reflective protective equipment for employees may have contributed to the accident.

The report suggested that Abrego’s clothing had become caught on the truck’s broken fender, preventing him from swerving as the vehicle continued on its way. The area where the accident occurred is usually busy with trucks and trailers being loaded and unloaded.

“Abrego may have had a better chance of survival if the fender mount had been repaired, as this would have prevented Abrego from coming into direct contact with the truck’s tire,” the report said.

Abrego was the second Pitman employee to die on the plant premises in less than a year. Last May, 66-year-old Jesus “Chuy” Salazar died when he fell into a chicken manure pit and drowned.

“It appeared that not many safety precautions were taken or enforced to prevent such incidents,” the police report said.

The report quoted an employee as saying that Abrego might still be alive if the company had safer working conditions.

Following Abrego’s death, company owner David Pitman issued the following statement. “We are devastated by this tragic accident and will continue to support Jose Abrego’s family and employees during this difficult time,” Pitman said. “The health and well-being of his family, our work team and the families we serve are of utmost importance to me.”