Coroner Identifies Driver Killed in Crash on Highway 43 Near Delano

Correctional Office Injured in Crash is Fighting for His Life

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Feb. 20, 2025) — A Shafter man is dead and another man remains hospitalized after a head-on crash on Feb. 1st on Highway 43, just north of Cecil Avenue near Delano.

Jonathan Emman Parra Gordillo, 36, of Shafter, died in the crash and the second driver, Correctional Officer A. Ortiz, was hospitalized with major injuries. There is a Gofundme page to provide financial support Ortiz and his family.

The deadly crash occurred on northbound state Route 43 around 10:55 p.m. on Feb. 1st, in Kern County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Gordillo was driving northbound in a white Nissan Sentra towards Ortiz who was driving southbound in a white Tesla Model 3. Investigators say the Nissan veered into the path of the Tesla and they crashed head-on. The impact caused the Nissan to catch fire in the middle of the highway and its driver died at the scene.

Meanwhile, the driver of the Tesla was taken by ambulance to Kern Medical for treatment of severe injuries and he remains in the ICU in critically stable condition, according to a message on his Gofundme page.

The crash remains under investigation and it’s unknown if drugs and or alcohol were factors in the crash.

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Johnson Attorneys Group is a personal injury law firm serving clients who are injured in California due to a negligent motorist. If you would like to contribute any information or would like to discuss a potential case, please call 1-(800) 208-3538 as soon as possible. Our personal injury law firm is a proud, longtime supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Source: KBAK/KBFX