92-year-old Los Banos man killed in crash outside Chowchilla

A 92-year-old Los Banos man was killed Monday night in a car crash south of Chowchilla, the California Highway Patrol confirmed.

The victim, Joseph A. Cox, was driving a 2009 Honda sedan west on Highway 152 around 7:25 p.m. Monday, when he crashed into the rear end of a tractor-trailer that was headed in the same direction, according to Madera-area CHP Officer G. Rodriguez.

His identity was confirmed Tuesday by Kayla Serratto, public information officer for the Madera County Sheriff's Office.

The Honda spun around at least once following the impact and stopped in the fast lane of the highway where it was struck by an on-coming Dodge sedan, officers said.

The driver of the Dodge, Michael Cox, 37, of Chowchilla, saw the Honda ahead of him but was unable to stop the car in time, Rodriguez said.

It wasn't clear Tuesday whether Joseph Cox and Michael Cox were related.

Joseph Cox was found outside his car when officers arrived on scene but investigators said it remains unclear whether he was thrown from the car during the crash or whether he'd exited his vehicle following the first collision, Rodriguez said.

Michael Cox and his passenger, Nicole Borden, 30, of Chowchilla, reported minor injuries but declined medical treatment at the scene, the CHP said.

Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been factors in the collision.

This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 4:48 PM with the headline "92-year-old Los Banos man killed in crash outside Chowchilla."