Prominent Fresno County doctor dies after vehicle plunges down mountainside along Highway 168

A prominent Fresno County doctor died after his vehicle veered off Highway 168 and plunged approximately 200 feet down the mountainside.

Dr. Venu Gopal, 69, was identified as the victim of the crash that occurred near Highway 168 and Beal Fire Road, approximately three miles southwest of Cressman’s General Store in Tollhouse.

Gopal was the Chief Forensic Pathologist at the Fresno County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office.

The fatal collision happened around 10 a.m. Saturday.

California Highway Patrol investigators said Gopal was driving west on Highway 168 along the four-lane expressway, where elevation changes quickly from approximately 4,800 feet to 1,700 feet.

CHP said Gopal lost control of his sedan for reasons that remained unclear over the weekend.

He veered to the left off the road before careening approximately 200 feet down the mountainside, according to CHP.

Officers said Gopal was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Neither drugs nor alcohol were suspected factors in the crash.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said members of the Fresno County Search and Rescue Team, CHP Patrol, and CHP’s Air Support Unit played an instrumental role in the speedy recovery of Gopal’s body.

“The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and our community has suffered an enormous loss,” Sheriff’s Office official said in a statement. “Dr. Venu Gopal was an amazing man who performed incredible work during his 30 year career at the Coroner’s Office.

“He helped provide much needed answers to grieving families and also contributed to delivering justice to loved ones in mourning. We wish to thank Dr. Gopal for his service. He will be greatly missed. God Bless he and his family.”

Gopal began his career with Fresno County in 1992 and became well-known throughout the medical community and a leading authority in the field.

On average, Fresno County has 7,500 deaths per year. And of those, roughly 4,000 are reported to the Coroner’s Office. This produces an average of 1,000 death investigations that require a doctor’s exam.

Gopal received his medical license after graduating from Bangalore Medical University, Kamataka State, India. He came to the United States in the 1980s and completed his residency in pathology at St. Vincent’s Medical Center of Richmond, Staten Island, New York.

Gopal was the co-chair of the Pediatric Death Review Committee and a member of the Traumatic Audit Committee and Elder Abuse Committee.

He taught anatomy, physiology, and forensic aspects of an autopsy to paramedics, nurses, anatomy students, criminology students, and medical assistants. He periodically hosted Emergency Room doctors during their residency for their forensic training requirements.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said it was quite common for Gopal to work seven days a week for months at a time.

“He contributed to Fresno County Sheriff’s Office mission through exceptional dedication, initiative, passion, motivation and the high level of service he provided to the citizens of Fresno County,” the sheriff’s office said.

In 2020, Dr. Gopal was named the Sheriff’s Office Employee of the Year.

During the height of the pandemic, Gopal served as the Coroner Office’s lone forensic pathologist because our other forensic pathologist retired at the end of 2019.

He performed approximately 350 autopsies and 500 external exams during 2020 alone.

Gopal is survived by his wife and two children.