Popular taco truck involved in accident, causing family business to shut down

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Late Thursday night the taco truck of El Mexicano was involved in a chain-reaction accident in Fresno County on Highway 99 near Clovis Avenue.

Sgt. Nathan Hunt/Highway Patrol

"A semi-truck was traveling southbound in the number three lane, rear-ended the catering truck and sent the catering truck out of control and it collided with two other vehicles."

The California Highway Patrol says at that point the catering truck overturned. One of the people in the other vehicles suffered major injuries while the two people in El Mexicano truck suffered minor injuries.

RELATED: Several injured after semi crashes into taco truck in Fresno County

But the accident was a major hit for the Camacho family. They own El Mexicano taco truck and restaurant off of Highway 99 and Manning Avenue in Fowler.

"They have always been one of the pillars of the community, out in the taco community. Even before I knew El Mexicano, I knew the place out there on Manning Avenue. Their reputation sort of proceeded them that way," said Mike Oz, Taco Truck Throwdown Co-Organizer.

Oz said El Mexicano has participated at every Taco Truck Throwdown at Chukchansi Park since 2011.

The family-owned and run business won this year's competition in both the judge's choice and people's choice.

Oz spoke to the family on Friday and said they will be shut down their restaurant indefinitely so they focus on recovering physically and deciding when they can get back into business with their restaurant and taco truck, which was totaled in the accident.

"We just hope everybody is okay and that they get back up and running so that they can continue on like they have been serving great tacos and being a part of the community," said Oz.