Members of the California Conservation Corps in Fresno are getting grief counseling after three crew members were killed in a car crash Tuesday while heading to a job site near Reedley.
Corps members are known for doing dangerous work like fighting fires. But agency officials say three fatalities in one day has never happened before. Susanne Levitsky with the corps says even one death has been extremely rare over the corp's 40 year history.
"It's just a very, very tragic occurrence," says Levitsky.
The three corps members killed are: 21-year-old Justin Vanmeter; 20-year-old Rhonda Shackelford; and 18-year-old Serena Guadarrama.
"They just embarked on a year of service in the corps and just started out," says Levitsky. "They were working on a water conservation crew in Fresno."
Governor Brown has ordered flags at the state capitol be flown at half-staff.
The CCC was formed in 1976. It's a state agency where men and women, aged 18-to-25, work to improve the state's natural resources. They also respond to emergencies like floods and earthquakes.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today
