Fresno woman killed in Highway 41 crash the week before her wedding

Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Fresno woman killed in Hwy 41 crash the week before her wedding
Family members say 42-year-old Brandi Urena was the victim in the crash. She was a mother of five and worked for United Health.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Highway Patrol says speed played a factor in the four-vehicle crash that killed a woman on Highway 41 and Central Ave. on Monday.

Family members say 42-year-old Brandi Urena was the victim in the crash. She was a mother of five and worked for United Health.

Her sister says she was at the intersection of Hwy. 41 and Central Ave. around 11:30 am Monday, stopped at a red light, on her way to a job site.

According to CHP, a 24-year-old man in a white Honda Insight was speeding down the highway when he rear-ended Brandi's car.

The impact triggered a crash that involved two other vehicles. A total of five people were involved in the four-vehicle collision.

They all suffered little to no injuries, except Brandi. She was taken to the hospital, where she later died.

The tragedy comes just days before Brandi was set to be married at the Fresno County courthouse, with a party and honeymoon to follow.

"Very, very excited about it," said her aunt, Jennifer Nolan. "Was able to get her, her dress."

Tuesday, her loved ones gathered to mourn her loss rather than celebrate her love.

"Planning for a wedding, planning for a celebration, and life and death gets in the way," said Nolan. "It's really unfortunate."

It's still unclear if the man officials say was speeding will face any charges. Regardless, Brandi's family is pleading for people to take every precaution when getting behind the wheel.

"Please be present in what you are doing. Pay attention to what you are doing," said Nolan. "Because this is unnecessary and that is hard to recover from."

A GoFundMe has been set up to support Brandi's family.

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