Sacto 9-1-1

A military reservist and employee of a private security company died in a single-vehicle crash at Beale Air Force Base early Sunday morning.

Beale officials identified the victim as the driver, Scott Bergseng, an employee of TW & Co. Inc. and a Reserve technical sergeant with the 940th Security Forces Squadron at Beale. The accident occurred about 4:45 a.m. at the base's Wheatland Gate. Bergseng was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a U.S. Air Force news release.

TW & Co. is a private security contractor who employs gate security personnel at Beale. At the time of the accident, Bergseng was not on Reserve military status, officials said.

The passenger in a pickup died this morning when the truck's driver lost control and slammed into a tree along Highway 99 north of Galt.

The crash killed a 36-year-old man from Modesto, whose name has not been released pending notification of family.

The 47-year-old driver, also from Modesto, was headed northbound at freeway speed in the fast lane about 10:30 a.m. when the pickup drifted off the left side of the roadway between Arno and Mingo roads.

The Yolo County Coroner's office has released the name of a 21-year-old man who died in a car crash into a tree late Saturday night in rural Yolo County.

He was identified as Joel Lowell, 21, of Brooks, Yolo County.

Lowell was traveling at a high rate of speed about 11:30 p.m. along County Road 23 west of County Road 89, which is just southeast of Esparto. Lowell for an unknown reason lost control and hit a walnut tree.

Officers suspect Lowell was not wearing a seatbelt when he was ejected from the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. The California Highway Patrol said in a press release that alcohol is believed to be involved in the crash.

By Matt Kawahara and Bill Lindelof
mkawahara@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Coroner's office today has released the name of the motorcyclist killed in a collision in the south area.

He was identified as Matthew S. Forward, 24, of Elk Grove.

Forward died after his motorcycle collided with a Toyota four-door at an intersection Tuesday night, authorities said.

Truckee police have determined that a bicyclist failed to stop at a red light before he collided with a vehicle that fled the scene.

At about 5:30 p.m. Sunday a 31-year-old Truckee bicyclist collided with the vehicle at Donner Pass Road at Northwoods Boulevard. The driver of the vehicle got out of his vehicle but then fled northbound on Donner Pass Road.

A Truckee Fire District ambulance crew on its way to the collision spotted the vehicle driving at a high rate of speed as it passed the fire station, providing police a good description.

One man died and another was injured this afternoon when a pickup truck veered off Highway 99 north of Gridley and overturned in a ditch.

The single-vehicle crash occurred about 2:20 p.m. near Ord Ranch Road.

Sgt. Steve Dubravetz of the California Highway Patrol said the pickup was southbound on Highway 99. Witnesses reported that the trailer began to fishtail and left the roadway. The driver overcorrected, hitting a dry drainage ditch. The vehicle then flipped over and landed upside down in a ditch containing water about three feet deep.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating whether a driver who allegedly caused a double fatal collision this morning in Sutter County fled the crash on foot.

At about 5:20 a.m. a van was heading southbound on Highway 113 north of Seymour Road near the community of Robbins when it tried to pass a car headed in the same direction at about 60 mph. The van's driver then realized he did not have enough room to execute the passing maneuver when he saw a northbound vehicle approaching.

The CHP said in a press release that the driver then turned into the path of the car it was passing and collided. The car went off the roadway into an oak tree, killing two passengers and causing major injuries to the driver, Alberto Martin Marcos, 50, of Yuba City.

Motorists in the Sacramento region fared slightly better than last year during the Independence Day maximum enforcement period conducted by the California Highway Patrol and area law enforcement agencies.

However, officials say statewide statistics point out the critical need to buckle up.

CHP spokeswoman Jaime Coffee said the number of roadway fatalities in the agency's Valley Division - which covers the greater Sacramento region - was down, with two reported this July 4 weekend compared with six during the same period in 2010.

The number of arrests made by Valley Division CHP officers for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs also was down slightly, from 179 last year to 177 this year. Coffee said the DUI arrest figures do not include DUI arrests made by other law enforcement agencies in the region.

Despite 42 officers out the door of the Sacramento Police Department, most residents likely won't notice a big difference right away: There are the same number of black-and-whites patrolling the streets today as there were last week.

Where the difference is most likely to be felt, officials say, is in the wake of a crime.

"For the most part, you won't notice any difference in the streets," said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. "However, what you'll notice primarily is (the difference in) what we follow up on."

This week, 42 police officers and 66 non-sworn employees - such as forensic investigators and community service officers - turned in their badges and equipment. As a result, significant changes in police services are effective today, the start of the fiscal year.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has released the name of the man who died Thursday in a crash in south Sacramento County when his car hit a tree.

He was identified as Ryan Rheinhart Vlavianos, 19, of Valley Springs, Calaveras County.

The crash was reported about 6 a.m. on Twin Cities Road near Hardesty Lane between Elk Grove and Galt. Vlavianos was on his way to work in Sacramento County when the accident occurred, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Phil Lammie said.

Vlavianos was westbound on Twin Cities when his car apparently drifted off to the right side of the road. He then corrected to the left and braked, losing control of his car.

The car then slid down a steep embankment where the driver's car door hit a tree, the CHP said.

The driver of a Yuba Sutter trash hauling truck died Tuesday afternoon in a collision with a truck hauling two tractors.

The Marysville Police Department at 3:20 p.m. began receiving calls of a head-on collision involving two semi-trucks in the area of Highway 20 between East 22nd and East 17th streets. Officers located a Yuba Sutter trash collection truck that had been involved in a collision with the tractor truck and trailers.

The driver of the disposal truck, identified as Gary Wayne Mathis, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a police department news release. The driver of the tractor and trailers was identified as Ernest Allan Coublucq, 73, of Marysville. He was taken to Rideout Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.

A driver was distracted when her beverage began to tip, resulting in a crash that caused major injuries to a passenger.

The crash occurred when the 17-year-old driver was on the Interstate 505 northbound onramp from Highway 128 near Winters in Yolo County about 3:15 p.m. Monday at about 50 mph.

Four tourists from Australia escaped serious injury when a car on Interstate 5 crossed the center divider and came hurtling at them at high speed.

The car's driver suffered major injuries. Three of the tourists suffered minor injuries. The fourth was not injured.

The tourists, on vacation in a mini-van, were southbound about 4 p.m. on I-5 near West Street in Woodland when the accident occurred. The California Highway Patrol said it is unclear why a 29-year-old Citrus Heights woman driving north at 75-80 mph cut across the freeway divider and into the southbound lanes.

A police officer witnessed a collision between a bicycle and a motorist on E. Main Street in Woodland at 12:45 p.m. Friday.

Due to the severity of the cyclist's injuries, a helicopter was called in and landed on E. Main near East Street to transport the crash victim to UC Davis Medical Center.

The motorist was not injured.

A 9-year-old girl died this morning when the minivan containing her family of seven rolled over on Interstate 5 north of Arbuckle, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Ofelia Castrejon-Reyes, 41, lost control of her 1993 Toyata Previa at approximately 4:30 a.m. while traveling north on the highway just past Hillgate Road. The car rolled across the highway before coming to rest on the right shoulder of the southbound lanes.

Castrejon-Reyes's daughter Brisa Rosales, 9, was ejected from the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene, said CHP Officer John Waggoner.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A driver who police say may have inadvertently stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake crashed into a Woodland business this afternoon.

Officers were sent to 11 Purity Plaza at 12:19 p.m. in response to a silent hold-up alarm at Check Max Plus. When they arrived, police were told that there was no robbery, but an employee had activated the alarm after a car crashed into the building.

The entire glass front of the business and part of the surrounding concrete base were broken when a 1992 Toyota sedan crashed into the front of the building, according to a Woodland Police Department news release.

As many as 10 people were treated by medical personnel Monday evening after a multiple-vehicle collision on Interstate 5 near Florin Road in south Sacramento, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

The collision occurred just after 6 p.m., said CHP spokesman Officer Michael Bradley. A preliminary investigation indicated the collision occurred when the driver of one involved vehicle overcorrected after trying to make a lane change, Bradley said.

Four ambulances were dispatched to the scene and transported multiple patients to UC Davis Medical Center and Kaiser South Sacramento Medical Center, Bradley said.

Crews have cleared the wreckage of a big rig crash that closed the left lane of westbound Interstate 80 east of Davis for several hours this morning.

A semi truck pulling two trailers went over the center divide east of Mace Boulevard at about 6:30 a.m. The rig was high-centered on the divide, making it difficult for crews to remove it.

There were no injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A 23-year-old Nebraska man died Thursday night after his motorcycle collided with a car on Highway 49 in Yuba County, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The collision occurred at about 7:20 p.m., on Highway 49 just south of Marysville Road, according to a CHP Grass Valley Area news release.

The motorcyclist was driving a 2009 Yamaha southbound, and was negotiating a curve in the roadway when for an unknown reason he crossed over into the northbound lane and into the path of a 2001 Subaru being driven by a 68-year-old North San Juan resident, according to the release.

Laguna Boulevard near Laguna Main Street in Elk Grove, which was shut down Thursday evening following a multiple-vehicle collision involving a big-rig, has reopened in both directions, an Elk Grove Police Department spokesman reported.

The collision occurred just before 6 p.m., said police spokesman Officer Chris Trim. The big-rig was apparently traveling eastbound on Laguna Boulevard when its driver lost control for an unknown reason and crossed over the center median into the westbound lanes, Trim said.

An estimated four vehicles were involved in the collision, including a Toyota Prius that ended up on its roof, Trim said. Injuries were believed to be minor, with at least one person being transported to a local hospital as a precaution, he said.

A man was killed when his van drifted off Highway 99, hit a tree and caught fire early this morning near Elk Grove.

A California Highway Patrol spokesman said there were no witnesses to the crash reported to them about 12:20 a.m. However, a preliminary investigation revealed that the motorist was apparently traveling southbound just south of Elk Grove Boulevard when the van went off the road.

The van struck a tree and then slid a few feet on the driver's side of the vehicle into another tree. The van then ignited and became engulfed in flames.

A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew and the Del Norte County Sheriff's Office teamed up to rescue six people from a vehicle that ran off the road and overturned near the Klamath River this morning.

The vehicle went off the road about 7:30 a.m. and sheriff's deputies requested the Coast Guard's assistance after determining that medical evacuation was needed, according to a Coast Guard news release.

Two Coast Guard MH-65 dolphin helicopters from Air Station Humboldt Bay arrived at the scene about 9 a.m. and evacuated three people involved in the accident. Because of terrain that officials described as "nearly vertical and very challenging," two of the victims were hoisted from the embankment where they were found. The other victim was loaded onto the helicopter from a landing zone prepared by sheriff's deputies.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A man who ran a woman's car into a freeway center divider in a traffic confrontation last year was sentenced today to nine years in state prison.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury last month convicted Jesse Kenneth Oran, 33, of gross vehicular manslaughter, Judge Gerrit W. Wood imposed the prison term on him for the May 2, 2010, traffic fatality that killed 22-year-old Tessa Canavarro.

Canavarro had been scheduled to begin her honeymoon the next day.

Authorities said Oran tailgated Canavarro's vehicle and flashed his headlights at her for several miles after an incident on westbound Interstate 80.

Oran was sober at the time of the crash. Canvarro's blood-alcohol level registered at .23 percent.

The name of a person who died earlier this week in a head-on collision on South Watt Avenue near Elder Creek Road has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.

Her has been identified as Pedro Mendoza Perea, 28, of Sacramento.

Perea was a passenger in a car Tuesday morning that was traveling north on South Watt Avenue that crossed into an oncoming lane and hit a southbound pickup, police said.

Police said they have not yet determined why the car crossed into the oncoming lane.

A California Highway Patrol officer responding to a call of a loose dog on U.S. Highway 50 was struck by a motorist and injured on the freeway near Howe Avenue late Sunday.

The incident happened about 10:35 p.m.

Officers tried to capture the animal after spotting it running across freeway lanes. The dog fled again, into the path of motorist Abigail Pelegrino of Sacramento, CHP officials said.

Sacramento County Coroner's officials identified the man killed in a collision early Sunday in Elk Grove that closed a portion of Power Inn Road for several hours.

Ivan Oscar Camero, 20, of Elk Grove, was pronounced dead 5 a.m. Sunday, coroner's officials said.

Elk Grove police said the 4:30 a.m. crash happened when a car driven by Heile Gantan of Elk Grove crossed the center divider on Power Inn Road south of Blue Maiden Way, struck a tree, then rolled onto its roof. Gantan and a second woman, LaDonna Torres, were able to escape with what police said were minor injuries.

Camero was trapped inside.

Gantan was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. Torres was arrested on suspicion of felony conspiracy and hit and run with death or injury.

- Darrell Smith

The driver of a carload of teens was arrested Wednesday just outside of Davis after running over a traffic sign in full view of a Yolo County Sheriff's deputy, the CHP said.

The California Highway Patrol said a 17-year-old boy was driving westbound on Russell Boulevard from Davis at 45 mph about 4:45 p.m. when he tried to make a turn onto Patwin Road. In the process, he took the turn too fast and struck a sign for bicyclists.

Watching this occur was a Yolo County Sheriff's deputy, who also saw the driver continue down the road. The teen then pulled into a driveway. .

The young driver who died after being from thrown from her car in a crash on Interstate 80 early Saturday has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Krystal Somer Sigler, 19, of Sacramento.

The crash occurred about 2 a.m. Saturday and involved two vehicles traveling eastbound on Interstate 80 near Interstate 5, according to Todd Van Lindt, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol's North Sacramento office.

Sigler and another woman were in a green 2001 Mercury SUV when, for unknown reasons, it clipped a blue 1995 Toyota Tercel in a lane ahead of it.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

The young driver killed in an early morning accident on Saturday has been identified as 19-year-old Krystal Sigler by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

The Rio Linda High School graduate was thrown from her car and killed when the 2001 Mercury SUV she was driving clipped a car while driving eastbound on I-80 near Interstate 5 around 2 a.m. Both the SUV and car spun out of control.

The driver and passenger of the car were not injured, said Todd Van Lindt, spokesman for the North Sacramento office of the California Highway Patrol.

A young driver was thrown from her car and killed early today, closing down Interstate 80 near Interstate 5 for a few hours in the early morning, California Highway Patrol officials reported.

The incident involved two vehicles driving eastbound on I-80 at about 2 a.m. said Todd Van Lindt, spokesman for the North Sacramento office of the CHP.

Two women in their early 20s were in a green 2001 Mercury SUV when, for unknown reasons, it clipped a blue 1995 Toyota Tercel in a lane ahead of it.

A 56-year-old Davis man was killed when his pickup crashed into a telephone pole last night, the California Highway Patrol said today.

The man, identified by the Yolo County Coroner's office as Steve Settje, was driving eastbound on County Road 29 just east of County Road 100A, just north of Davis.

Settje was traveling at an unknown speed and was not wearing a seatbelt, the CHP reported.

Traffic was flowing again after all lanes were previously blocked on northbound Highway 99 at Laguna Boulevard in Elk Grove this morning.

Two cars involved in the collision were removed from the roadway by 8:30 a.m.

The collision was reported to the California Highway Patrol at about 7:45 a.m. Details of the crash between a gray Honda Accord and a blue Chevrolet Camaro were not immediately available.

The first crosswalk sting of the year resulted in 44 tickets being written by Sacramento police.

Sacramento police were watching Thursday for motorists who didn't stop for pedestrians at crosswalks.

The tally released by the department today went this way:

The name of the 74-year-old woman who died Sunday in a traffic collison on Truxel Road in North Natomas has been released.

She was identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Paulina Margretha Vankoetsveld of Sacramento.

Sacramento police said Vankoetsveld was driving southbound about 2:45 p.m. Sunday on Truxel Road. While making a left turn onto Arena Boulevard, she was struck by another vehicle that was northbound on Truxel.

By Matt Weiser
mweiser@sacbee.com

A 74-year-old woman died Sunday following a car accident on Truxel Road in North Natomas.

Sacramento Police Department spokeswoman Laura Peck said the woman was driving southbound on Truxel Road. While making a left turn onto Arena Boulevard, she was struck by another vehicle that was northbound on Truxel.

The accident occurred at about 2:42 p.m. Sunday. Peck did not know if the victim was wearing a seatbelt.

Two Northern California teenagers died and a third suffered major injuries after a two-car collision late Saturday night on Highway 99 at the Nicolaus turnoff, the California Highway Patrol at Chico said today.

Killed at the scene was a passenger in one of the vehicles, 19-year-old Delfino Gaona of Dixon. A second passenger in the car, a Saturn, died after being taken by air ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center. He was identified as 17-year-old Alexander Silva of Vacaville.

CHP reported that the driver of the Saturn, 18-year-old Justin Andrews of Dixon, was also taken to Sutter hospital with major injuries.

A pedestrian killed by a car on Power Inn Road Friday night appears to have been a transient, Sacramento police said Saturday.

The woman, believed to be in her 30s or 40s, was pushing a shopping cart in the roadway.

The driver of the car that hit her reported seeing the cart, but not the woman, until it was too late to avoid her.

A driver trying to avoid a Sacramento police DUI checkpoint in north Sacramento on Friday night was hospitalized after he led police on a short chase and then caused an accident in an intersection, a Sacramento Police Department spokesman said.

The driver, a male in his 40s, drove into the checkpoint at Marysville Boulevard and Harris Avenue late Friday and tried to back out when he realized it was a checkpoint, said Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. He then led officers on a short pursuit before pulling over at Marysville Boulevard and Grand Avenue.

As officers exited their car, the driver accelerated his vehicle through a red light and was T-boned by another vehicle in the intersection, Leong said. The driver, a parolee, was extricated from the vehicle and taken to the hospital with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening, Leong said.

Sacramento Police are investigating a collision on Power Inn Road near 14th Avenue in which a female pedestrian died.

Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said the pedestrian was crossing Power Inn in the middle of the block about 8:30 p.m. and the driver did not see her until the collision occurred. Leong said the driver stopped and alcohol does not appear to have been involved.

He said Power Inn Road is expected to remain closed in both directions until about 11:30 p.m.

Four people, including two children, suffered minor injuries in a three-vehicle collision that closed Highway 65 near Sheridan for about an hour this morning.

The collision occurred about 7:49 a.m. A black Dodge Charger, driven by a 35-year-old Sheridan woman, was traveling northbound on Highway 65 north of Riosa Road and was slowing from a speed of 55 mph to make a left turn across the southbound lanes into a private driveway, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

The Charger had its left turn signal on, when a Kenworth big-rig tractor-trailer combination, driven by a 37-year-old Olivehurst woman, approached from behind traveling about 55 mph.

A pedestrian who died Tuesday night after being struck by a car on Watt Avenue in North Highlands has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Brandon Phillip Jones, 29, of Fair Oaks.

The accident occurred about 9 p.m., where Watt Avenue crosses Interstate 80, said California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Lizz Dutton.

A 51-year-old Sacramento woman was driving her black Volkswagen Jetta southbound on Watt Avenue, traveling 35 to 40 mph, when Jones stepped out into the lane in front of the car, Dutton said.

Sacramento police will be watching for motorists who don't stop for pedestrians at crosswalks on Thursday.

The department will conduct its first crosswalk sting of the year at undisclosed times and places in the city, police said.

Police said that an officer will stand at the side of the road make eye contact with the driver and then begin to walk across the road at the crosswalk.

A 29-year-old man died Tuesday night after being hit by a car on Watt Avenue in North Highlands, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said.

The accident occurred at about 9 p.m., where Watt Avenue crosses over Interstate 80, said CHP spokeswoman Lizz Dutton.

A 51-year-old Sacramento woman was driving her black Volkswagen Jetta southbound on Watt Avenue at speeds of about 35 to 40 mph, Dutton said. The victim, a white male pedestrian believed to be from Fair Oaks, stepped out into the lane in front the car and was struck, Dutton said.

An Auburn teen has died after he apparently lost control of his motorcycle tonight in Grass Valley, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The accident occurred at about 6 p.m., on private property near Highway 49 and Allison Ranch Road, said CHP Officer James Cornwall.

Investigators believe the 18-year-old victim was riding a 2001 Honda motorcycle in a field and attempted to use a small hill to jump, Cornwall said. He lost control upon landing and was ejected from the motorcycle.

Silver stars for valor for two deputies and a special citation for a teen who kept a cool head will be awarded Friday by the Yolo County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies Mike Glaser and Derrick Alatorre, along with 14-year-old Cloreesa Borrego, will receive the awards for their actions on Dec. 19 when a vehicle went in the water and began to sink.

Glaser and Alatorre witnessed the accident between two vehicles that cold winter day when a vehicle with a pregnant woman and three children, including Borrego, careened into a slough in the Yolo Bypass, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Sacramento police are searching for the occupants of a car that sideswiped a north Sacramento home tonight, severing a gas main and water line, a police spokesman said.

Police responded at 9:17 p.m., to reports of a car running into the house in 900 block of Alamos Avenue near Rio Linda Boulevard, Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said. They found the car, a white Chevrolet Monte Carlo, but the occupants of the vehicle had fled, Leong said.

Responding Sacramento firefighters shut off the gas main, Leong said.

There were no injuries reported and surrounding areas were not evacuated.

CHP The California Highway Patrol today identified the man arrested for suspicion of drunken driving after a Friday crash in El Dorado County that killed the passenger in his vehicle.

Sean Perry, 43, of Chico, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in the single-car crash on a rural El Dorado County road, according to the CHP.

The two men were in a BMW traveling west on Pleasant Valley Road around 12:25 a.m. when their vehicle failed to negotiate a curve in the road about a quarter-mile east of Mother Lode Drive.

One person died and another was seriously injured this afternoon in a collision reported about 3:20 p.m. at Auburn Boulevard and College Oak Drive.

Officer Lizz Dutton of the California Highway Patrol said a 33-year-old man was driving southbound on Auburn Boulevard in a Chevrolet 3500 pickup pulling a trailer fully loaded with rock and other debris. He was traveling about 40 mph and approaching College Oak Drive, when a 92-year-old man driving a Ford F10 pickup made a left turn onto College Oak.

The Chevy 3500 pickup struck the F10 on the passenger side. The F10 hit a curb and turned over on the driver's said.

A California Highway Patrol officer sustained minor injuries to both arms Monday afternoon when his car was struck by another vehicle after he had pulled into the center median of Interstate 80 in West Sacramento to help a stranded motorist, according to a CHP news release.

The 32-year-old officer was traveling eastbound on Interstate 80 near Enterprise Boulevard at 5:12 p.m., when he saw a stranded motorist in the center median of westbound I-80, the release states. The officer traveled slightly past the stranded motorist, then activated his rear emergency lights and reversed his vehicle toward the motorist at about 5 mph.

A man died and a woman was seriously injured late this afternoon in a collision in south Placer County near Roseville.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Terence Sims said a woman driving a Ford F250 truck was westbound on Baseline Road near Walerga Road shortly after 5 p.m. when her vehicle drifted into the eastbound lane and collided with a smaller eastbound pickup truck.

The male driver of the eastbound pickup was pronounced dead at the scene, and the woman was taken by air ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with major injuries, Sims said. The name of the driver who died has not been released pending notification of family.

A Coronado man was arrested by Truckee police following a collision in which a pedestrian was seriously injured Sunday night.

Police received a report at 8:10 p.m. of a collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian at 11700 Donner Pass Road, in front of the Sunset Mobile Home Park. Officers located the parties, including an injured pedestrian, an adult male, who was taken by Tahoe Forest Hospital by ambulance and later to Renown Hospital in Reno for treatment of injuries suffered in the collision, according to a Truckee Police Department news release.

The driver of the vehicle, Ronald Sosnowski, 60, was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Police said the collision is still under investigation. Anyone who witnessed it is asked to call Sgt. Robert Womack at (530) 550-2335.

The man killed Thursday in a traffic collision in southern Sacramento County has been identified as Jesse Rene Venegas, 25, of Elk Grove.

The Sacramento County coroner this morning released the identification.

The crash happened on Gerber Road west of Power Inn Road.

A 25-year-old man was killed this evening and four other people were injured in a traffic collision on Gerber Road, east of Palmer House Drive.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said the crash occurred about 8:15 p.m. The 25-year-old man was driving an Acura and coming out of the Save Mart parking lot onto Gerber Road at a high rate of speed when his vehicle was broadsided by a Chevy truck that was eastbound on Gerber.

Bradley said the driver of the Acura, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. The three passengers in his vehicle were identified as the man's nephews, who were age 15 and younger. Bradley said they were taken to UC Davis Medical Center with minor to moderate injuries.

The driver of the truck was taken to Kaiser South Medical Center with unknown injuries.

A "ghost bike" memorial reminds students of the death of one of their own outside Sacramento State University.

The ghost bike, a riderless bicycle painted white and anonymously left tied to a traffic pole at the university entrance, is in memory of student Arlene Sasse, 22, who was hit by a car while crossing J Street near the entrance to the campus in the early hours April 1. Police said Tuesday they are still investigating the crash.

Next to the ghost bike are flowers, notes and a copy of The Bee story about Sasse's death.

Traffic signal data will be analyzed to find out who was at fault in a collision that resulted in minor injuries to three students on a bus Tuesday morning in Elk Grove.

The accident occurred about 7:20 a.m. when an e-tran Elk Grove city bus collided with another vehicle at Franklin Boulevard and Elk Grove Boulevard.

"At this point, based on a witness statement, it appears that the four-door sedan did have some type of right-of-way violation," said Elk Grove police spokesman Chris Trim. "Whether it is red light or failure to yield, that will be determined. We will be pulling the data from signal lights to determine there were no malfunctions and that the information we received from witnesses matches up with signal light information."

Three people hit by a suspected drunken driver suffered major injuries Sunday night in a Yolo County crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A car traveling eastbound on Highway 128 outside of Winters near Pleasants Valley Road about 7:30 p.m. crossed over the double yellow line when the driver, Fernando Ramirez, 31, of Esparto, made an unsafe turn, a CHP press release states. His car struck another vehicle driven by Megan Espinosa, 19, of Vacaville.

The CHP said that Ramirez displayed "signs and symptoms" of intoxication and was arrested on felony driving under the influence causing injury. He suffered major injuries.

Espinosa and two passengers in her car, Tiffany Canerday, 17, and Michelle Canerday, 21, both of Vacaville, suffered major injuries.

By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com

A fatal motorcycle crash has forced closure of Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights for several hours Sunday evening, police report.

The crash occurred at 6 p.m. The victim's identity has not been released. Officers investigating the crash have closed Sunrise northbound at Arcadia Drive, and southbound at Sayonara Drive. Police said the motorcyclist lost control in a solo crash. Police said at 9 p.m. they did not yet know when the road would reopen.

Call The Bee's Tony Bizjak, (916) 321-1059.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove police officer suffered an injury to his leg tonight after he was struck by a car - possibly driven by an intoxicated driver - while conducting a traffic stop, according to authorities.

The injuries are not life-threatening and appear to involve a broken leg or ankle, said police spokesman Officer Chris Trim. The officer, whose name was not released, is being treated at an area hospital.

The collision occurred about 9:40 p.m. today, after two officers assigned to traffic enforcement pulled over a vehicle on Big Horn Boulevard just east of Bruceville Road, Trim said.

The name of a Sacramento State student who was killed this morning when struck on her bicycle has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

Arlene Sasse, 22, was hit by a vehicle while crossing J Street in front of the university in the intersection of Carlson Drive and J Street about 1:45 a.m.

The driver was traveling westbound on J Street and did not see Sasse, whose bicycle did not have a light or reflectors, police said.

By Cathy Locke and Bill Lindelof
clocke@sacbee.com

A 20-year-old Sacramento man died this morning when his vehicle fell several feet from a transition road onto southbound I-5 following a collision, according to the California Highway Patrol said.

The collision occurred about 5:45 a.m. as a 20-year-old Sacramento woman was driving 2004 Mitsubishi from southbound I-5 onto the eastbound Highway 50 transition road.

A CHP news release gave this account of events:

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Westbound Interstate 80 on the Yolo Causeway, which was closed earlier this morning because of a big-rig crash, has now re-opened.

The California Highway Patrol said all westbound lanes re-opened shortly after 11 a.m..

The crash, reported about 9:15 a.m., involved two cars and a big rig. The big rig overturned blocking all westbound lanes of the causeway.

The driver of the big rig was taken to UC Davis Medical Center.

Photo by Bryan Patrick

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

Reports for traffic accidents that occur in Sacramento, Folsom and West Sacramento are now available online.

The departments contract with PoliceReports.US to give access to most traffic reports.

With a report number, date of accident and name of party involved, a search can be made for a report at http://policereports.us/.

The West Sacramento Police Department said most reports are available online within ten days after the accident.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Two Davis residents have died of injuries sustained Thursday in a head-on traffic collision in Placer County.

The California Highway Patrol reported that Maria McArren, 74, and Richard Tanner, 77, died Thursday afternoon after being taken by air ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center.

The collision occurred shortly before noon as Billy A. Keller, 25, of Foresthill was driving a Mazda 626 westbound of Foresthill Road, east of Drivers Flat. McArren was driving a Honda Civic eastbound on Foresthill Road, when Keller's vehicle traveled into the eastbound lane, directly into the path of McArren's vehicle, according to a CHP news release.

By Bill Lindelof
blindleof@sacbee.com

The driver of a big-rig truck who was hit and killed when he stopped to assist at an accident on Interstate 80 near Blue Canyon was identified today by the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

William Gonzales, 54, of Sacramento died Thursday when he was struck by another vehicle that slid off an icy Interstate 80.

Officer Todd Kettwig of the California Highway Patrol said the driver of a Jeep Cherokee was eastbound on Interstate 80 just west of Blue Canyon about 6:50 a.m. when he encountered ice and lost control of the vehicle.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A North Highlands motorcyclist is listed in critical condition today after being hit by a braking sports car on Interstate 80 on Thursday.

Brian Jennings, 21, was riding about 75 mph on his 2009 Suzuki eastbound on I-80 at 10:30 a.m. Thursday just east Douglas Boulevard when a 2003 Corvette approached from behind and pulled alongside, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The driver of the car, Donald Stanley Rey Jr., 45, of Roseville slammed on his brakes when he came upon stopped traffic, according to the CHP.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The driver of a big-rig truck who stopped to assist at an accident scene near Blue Canyon died this morning when he was struck by another vehicle that slid off an icy Interstate 80.

Officer Todd Kettwig of the California Highway Patrol said the driver of a Jeep Cherokee was eastbound on Interstate 80 just west of Blue Canyon about 6:50 a.m. when he encountered ice and lost control of the vehicle.

The Jeep slid across the highway and down the northern embankment at the highway median.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove man died in a collision on Highway 160 Monday when the pickup truck he was riding in was struck head-on by another pickup.

Weiliang Li, 51, of Elk Grove died from injuries suffered in the accident that occurred about 1:15 p.m. Monday on Highway 160 just north of the Antioch Bridge, the California Highway Patrol said today.

A truck driven by a Rio Vista man was traveling north when the pickup drifted into oncoming traffic, The CHP said.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

An Elverta man who killed a 45-year-old woman in a traffic collision in Rio Linda last year pleaded no contest Wednesday to gross vehicular manslaughter, according to Sacramento Superior Court records.

Travis Weldon Moore, who was 19 at the time of the Feb. 16, 2010, crash, collided at 16th and C streets with a vehicle being driven by Christine Ingle, who died at the scene.

The California Highway Patrol said that Moore was driving at a high rate of speed when he ran the stop sign on eastbound C Street. Ingle was driving northbound on 16th Street.

Moore is scheduled to be sentenced April 6 by Judge Gary E. Ransom.

Call The Bee's Andy Furillo, (916) 321-1141.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

A man was struck and killed by a motorist tonight as he tried to cross Watt Avenue near Elkhorn Boulevard, said witness and a California Highway Patrol officer.

The man had just eaten at a free food kitchen minutes earlier and was crossing Watt outside of a crosswalk about 7:20 p.m. when he was struck by a car headed south on Watt, the CHP said.

The car's driver was traveling about 40 mph when the collision occurred. The driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the officer reported.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A dramatic early morning truck crash created a major mess but no injuries on Interstate 80, the California Highway Patrol reported.

A propane truck towing a tank trailer crashed into an unoccupied, disabled vehicle about 3 a.m. on westbound 80 near the Sacramento River.

The truck jack-knifed and the cab went through the center railing and was suspended above Garden Highway, said CHP Sgt. David Ricks.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol said a drunk driver ran his pickup truck into a drainage ditch Thursday night in Olivehurst, causing major injuries to his passenger.

The CHP said that Michael W. Shaeffer, 38, of Olivehurst was southound on Feather River Boulevard, south of Myrna Avenue, near the Yuba County Airport, about 7 p.m., when due to his level of intoxication, he allowed his pickup to leave the right side of the roadway.

Shaeffer was able to pull back from the edge, but lost control and the truck ran off the left side of Feather River Boulevard. The front of Shaeffer's truck hit a partially filled drainage ditch.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol reports that a drugged driver may have been the cause of a collision on Highway 99 this afternoon in which one person was injured and a California Highway Patrol vehicle was damaged.

CHP spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said a CHP officer had made a traffic stop on northbound Highway 99, just south of Florin Road, and was in the process of towing a motorcycle from the roadway shoulder at 12:20 p.m. A Toyota pickup truck driven by a 46-year-old Livermore resident was traveling on the shoulder and came upon the stopped CHP vehicle. In an effort to avoid the collision, the truck driver swerved into the traffic lanes and collided with an ADT Security van.

The collision caused the driver of the van to lose control of his vehicle. The van began to roll over as it collided with the driver's side of the CHP patrol vehicle. Bradley said the van also hit the motorcycle, which was parked in front of the patrol vehicle.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

All lanes of Howe Avenue in Arden Arcade have re-opened after a sport-utility vehicle slammed into the rear of a street sweeper early this morning.

California Highway Patrol investigators will have to determine which driver caused the violent 4 a.m. crash that closed a portion of southbound Howe Avenue near Cottage Way for about 90 minutes.

The driver of the SUV, who was transported to Mercy San Juan Hospital, was expected to survive his injuries.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Rick Daysog
rdaysog@sacbee.com

Northbound lanes on Interstate 5 near Twin Cities were closed for more than an hour Saturday night after a herd goats bolted from a nearby field and ended up on the freeway.

California Highway Patrol officers and Caltrans crews, responding to a seven-car accident there, corralled dozens of livestock while Consumes and Walnut Grove fire units helped clear the road.

The road was reopened around 9 p.m.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A man was hospitalized with severe injuries after being struck by a car while crossing Arden Way late Thursday night, Sacramento Police Department Lt. James Hendrickson said.

The accident occurred just before 10 p.m. on Arden Way near Empress Street. A Toyota four-door sedan was eastbound on Arden Way when it struck a pedestrian who was attempting to cross the street, Hendrickson said.

The victim, a 59-year-old male, was not in a crosswalk, Hendrickson said. He was transported to UC Davis Medical Center.

By Robert D. Dávila
rdavila@sacbee.com

An unidentified man was killed Sunday night when he was walking across Northgate Boulevard and hit by a pickup driver, who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, Sacramento police said

The victim hit at 7:12 p.m. by a maroon Chevy pickup heading northbound in the 3500 block of Northgate, Sgt. Michael Carrasco said. The pedestrian was walking outside the crosswalk, the sergeant said.

The driver, Vincent Velasquez, 34, of Sacramento, was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, Carrasco said.

Northgate Boulevard was closed to traffic between Patio Avenue and San Juan Boulevard for several hours while officers investigated the accident, Carrasco said.

Call The Bee's Robert D. Dávila, (916) 321-1077.

By Matt Kawahara and Bill Lindelof
mkawahara@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County coroner's office has released the name of the woman killed in a crash Thursday night in Rio Linda.

She has been identified as Becky Rose Miller, 53, of Rio Linda.

Details of the crash are not available. However, a spokesman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said in addition to the death of Miller, another person was taken to the hospital.

The accident occurred at Rio Linda Boulevard and Elverta Road shortly after 9 p.m. Responding personnel had to extricate at least one subject from a vehicle.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An 84-year-old Auburn man died this afternoon in a collision on Highway 49 north of Auburn.

California Highway Patrol Officer Dave Martinez said Roy Inman was driving a Chevrolet pickup and was pulling out of China Lane onto Highway 49 shortly before 3 p.m.

Martinez said Inman pulled into the path of northbound sedan driven by a 49-year-old Auburn woman. Her vehicle struck the driver's side of Inman's truck.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Three people, including two firefighters, were injured this morning when a fire engine struck a car near Mather Field Road and Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova.

The driver of the car blamed loud music for being unable to hear the approaching fire engine's siren, investigators said.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District's Engine Company 66 was responding to a medical emergency with lights and siren at 10:27 a.m. and was traveling north on Mather Field Road over Highway 50 when it encountered a car.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man who Auburn police say was on Placer County's "20 most wanted" list has been arrested in connection with a collision between a quad runner and a Union Pacific train.

About noon Jan. 22, police were dispatched to the area of a train trestle over Interstate 80 regarding a report that a train had hit a person riding a quad runner, according to an Auburn Police Department news release. The quad rider left the area before police arrived and was not located.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the woman who died this afternoon in a collision on Interstate 5 as Charlene Elizabeth Mills, 65, of Santa Clara.

Officer Michael Bradley of the California Highway Patrol said Mills was driving a Chrysler 300 southbound in the slow lane on I-5 just north of Sutterville Road about 3:30 p.m., when she suddenly swerved to the right, then to the left into the fast lane. Her vehicle was struck on the driver's side by a Toyota Avalon driven by a 22-year-old Stockton man.

Mills was pronounced dead at the scene.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A motorcyclist died when he locked up his brakes, was ejected from his bike and may have been run over by a passing vehicle on Highway 99 last night.

The California Highway Patrol said Devon Chase Marohn, 22, was traveling north on Highway 99 approaching O'Banion Road south of Yuba City about 8 p.m. Wednesday when for unknown reasons he locked up his brakes. That caused the bike to skid before the Yuba City man put the motorcycle down on its side.

Marohn was ejected from the bike and remained in one of the lanes of the highway where he may have been run over.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Citrus Heights man has been identified today as the person killed in a collision that also sent two people to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The man who died in the South Sacramento crash was identified as 62-year-old Ralph Wayne Dibella, according to the Sacramento County Coroner's Department.

Sacramento Police Sgt. Norm Leong said the accident happened shortly before 8:15 p.m. Tuesday at Franklin Boulevard and Creeks Edge Way.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 47-year-old man died Monday afternoon when his vehicle overturned on a winding portion of Forbestown Road in Butte County.

According to the California Highway Patrol report, Robert Todd Lonsberry of Forbestown was driving his full-size Chevrolet pickup westbound on a winding portion of Forbestown Road, about a half-mile west of the Forbestown Store, shortly after 3 p.m. As he entered a left curve in the roadway, the tires on the right side of the truck went off the edge of the pavement. In an attempt to get the vehicle back on the pavement, Lonsberry overcorrected and lost control of the truck, the report says.

The pickup turned counterclockwise as it slid back across the road and into a dirt embankment on the south side of the road. The truck then rolled over and came to rest on the passenger side, facing eastbound in the eastbound lane. Lonsberry, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was partially ejected through the truck's right side window and suffered a fatal head injury when the vehicle rolled on top of him.

The CHP reported that an open can of beer was found in the vehicle, and alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash.

Had Lonsberry been wearing his seatbelt, officials said, he might have been able to ride out the crash and walk away with minor injuries. The report says the pickup sustained moderate damage to its right side and was still drivable.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A man died Thursday when his car was hit head-on in Oroville by a van driven by an apparently intoxicated woman, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Peggy Castaneda, 46, of Oroville was driving a Dodge Grand Caravan east, while Robert Alexander, 69, was driving west, both on Oro Dam Boulevard East, near Rusty Dusty Road.

Castaneda, due to her intoxication level, allowed her van to drift over the double-yellow lines, according to the CHP incident report.

The left front of her vehicle hit the left front of Alexander's Suzuki Samurai. Both cars overturned.

Alexander was taken to a hospital where he died.

The Butte County Sherriff Office's online jail records showed Castaneda still in custody this afternoon.

The collision is still under investigation, the CHP said.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá, (916) 321-1987.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Coroner has identified a Wilton teen as the victim of a car accident Tuesday.

Maisie Marie Sanders, 19, of Wilton died at the scene of the 11:50 a.m. accident at Clay Station Road and Tavernor Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said that a pickup truck was northbound on Clay Station Road when a car westbound on Tavernor Road driven by Sanders pulled into the path of the truck.

Tavernor Road has stop signs in both directions at Clay Station Road, the CHP said.

The CHP said it is not clear if Sanders stopped and then entered the intersection or slowed down and rolled into the intersection.

Her car was hit broadside and she sustained fatal injuries.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The California Highways Patrol reports that all lanes of Jackson Road at Latrobe Road have reopened after a traffic accident had closed all lanes.

The roadway was reopened at 6:20 p.m., the CHP reports.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Matthew Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A Sacramento woman has died after a head-on collision on State Route 65 in Lincoln early this morning.

The 51-year-old woman was driving a 2000 Lexus SUV northbound on SR 65 at Sterling Parkway just before 5:15 a.m. when the SUV crossed over the center lane into the southbound lane of Highway 65, according to a Lincoln Police Department release.

The SUV crossed into the path of and collided with a 2008 Ford van being driven by a 47-year-old Lincoln man with three passengers, according to the release.

The driver of the SUV was the lone occupant of the vehicle, the release states. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her identity was not immediately available.

All four people in the van had to be extricated from the van by members of the Lincoln Fire Department, the release states. The driver and one passenger were transported to Sutter Roseville Hospital with serious injuries, it states.

The other two passengers were transported to Mercy San Juan Hospital with moderate to major injuries.

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the driver of the SUV to cross the median.

Southbound lanes of Highway 65 at Sterling Parkway remain closed indefinitely while an investigation of the collision is completed.

Call The Bee's Matthew Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

The driver in Friday's fatal accident on Highway 99 has been identified as Dennis Albert Stewart, 56, of Robbins.

Stewart's vehicle was going northbound at about 9:50 a.m. when it swerved across a center divider, sideswiped a big rig that attempted to avoid the collision, and was run over by the rig's trailer, according to a report by the California Highway Patrol.

Stewart was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

His passenger, Teresa Malone, 50, of Robbins, was taken to the hospital with major injuries. The rig driver was not injured.

Neither the CHP nor Sutter Sheriff's officials made an official release Stewart's identity. He was named as the victim by the Marysville Appeal-Democrat.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá, (916) 321-1987.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has identified the man killed Thursday morning when his BMW collided head-on with a big rig on Interstate 5 just south of Elk Grove Boulevard.

Michael Foreman, 25, of Antioch, was driving the BMW southbound on I-5 when his vehicle crossed into the northbound lanes and hit the big rig shortly before 5:18 a.m., said Officer Rich Wetzel, CHP spokesman.

Foreman was pronounced dead at the scene, Wetzel said. What caused Foreman's vehicle to veer into oncoming traffic is under investigation.

The driver of the big rig was unhurt, Wetzel said.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

One person has died after a vehicle collided with a big rig on Highway 99 just south of Yuba City, the California Highway Patrol said today.

The accident, which occurred about 10 a.m. this morning, has closed Highway 99 near Bogue Road in both directions.

Traffic is being diverted in both directions.

The highway will be closed until about 12:30 p.m., the CHP said.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Matthew Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

The Folsom Boulevard off-ramp on westbound Highway 50 was blocked this morning after a car slid down the embankment and overturned, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The off-ramp was closed during the morning rush hour but has reopened, according to the CHP. The accident was reported at 5:24 a.m.

Fire crews responded to the scene for reports of a trapped person, according to the CHP website, but the CHP has not confirmed any injuries.

Call The Bee's Matthew Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Matthew Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A vehicle hit a Sacramento Metropolitan Utility District power pole early this morning in Foothill Farms, knocking out power for about 20 people and causing minor injuries to the driver, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

The accident occurred around 4:08 a.m., said CHP spokesman Officer Rich Wetzel. It left live power wires in the roadway and shut down northbound Garfield Avenue near Auburn Boulevard, Wetzel said.

Northbound Garfield Avenue was closed until crews could shut off the wires and remove the car, Wetzel said.

On its website, SMUD reported that 22 customers lost power in the area.

The accident scene has been cleared, Wetzel said.

Call The Bee's Matthew Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Matthew Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A man has died following a head-on collision this morning between a BMW and big rig on Interstate 5 just south of Elk Grove Boulevard, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

The BMW was traveling southbound on I-5 when it crossed into the northbound lanes and hit the big rig head on shortly before 5:18 a.m., said CHP spokesman Officer Rich Wetzel.

The driver of the BMW was confirmed dead at the scene, Wetzel said. Wetzel said he was unsure if the driver was the only person in the car. The driver of the big rig was unhurt, he added.

The big rig ended up on its side, blocking one of the northbound lanes of the two-lane highway, Wetzel said. One lane remains open temporarily, but CHP is advising drivers to use Highway 99 to avoid delays.

Call The Bee's Matthew Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Bill Lindelof and Cathy Locke
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 60-year-old Rancho Cordova woman died when her car collided this morning with a work crew's truck on westbound Highway 50 near Harbor Boulevard in West Sacramento, injuring two workers.

The Sacramento County Coroner's website identified the woman as Morissa Susan Anapolsky.

Traffic was backed up with on westbound Highway 50 with three lanes blocked until mid afternoon.

The California Highway Patrol said that about 10 a.m. witnesses reported a car being driven recklessly down Highway 50. Shortly after that, a Camry matching the same description ran into the center divider where a private contractor was doing work for Caltrans.

The Camry hit the contractor's truck, pushing it forward and pinning one of the workers between the divider and his truck. The 41-year-old worker suffered injury to his legs.

He was transported to the hospital. Another worker suffered minor injuries.

The car then hit a white van, but that driver was not injured.

Anapolsky was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

"We are not sure what was causing the erratic driving of the 60-year-old female," said CHP Officer Cindy Leal.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Chelsea Phua and Robert Lewis
rlewis@sacbee.com

The pedestrian who was struck and killed Wednesday night in Citrus Heights near the intersection of Auburn Boulevard and Halifax Street has been identified.

Patricia Ann Erickson, 73, of Citrus Heights, died after being struck at 7:14 p.m., according to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

The woman was struck by a white Nissan Altima traveling northeast on Auburn Boulevard, according to Citrus Heights Police Lt. Daman Christensen. She was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the accident, police said. The intersection has traffic lights and a crosswalk, but it's not clear if the victim was in the crosswalk.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

An elderly female pedestrian was killed Wednesday night when she was struck by a vehicle, Citrus Heights police said.

Police Lt. Daman Christensen said a white Nissan Altima was northeast on Auburn Boulevard at Halifax Street when the accident happened about 7:15 p.m.

The woman, who has not been identified, was transported to Mercy San Juan Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Police said alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the incident. Christensen said the intersection has traffic lights and a crosswalk, but it's not clear who had the right of way and whether the pedestrian was in the crosswalk.

Traffic on Auburn Boulevard is being diverted at two locations, Van Maren Lane and Donegal Drive. Authorities are expected to close the roadway for several hours for the investigation.

Police advise motorists to watch their traveling speed and be alert for pedestrians at all times.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 54-year-old pedestrian is in critical condition Friday night after being struck by a car at 21st and J streets, Sacramento police report.

According to Sgt. Norm Leong, police spokesman, the man was crossing 21st Street at 8:30 p.m. It is unknown if the pedestrian was in a crosswalk, Leong said. According to witnesses, a four-door Buick northbound on 21st in the middle lane had a green light before striking the man, Leong said.

Leong said the driver, a 23-year-old man, stopped at the scene. It doesn't appear alcohol was involved in the incident, which is under investigation, he said.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A crash left four people dead in Butte County on Sunday despite the best efforts of passersby and California Highway Patrol officers.

The accident occurred around 6 a.m. Sunday at highways 99 and 162 west of Oroville and involved two pickups and a sport-utility vehicle.

The California Highway Patrol reported that a Dodge pickup traveling south on 99 veered into the opposite lane for unknown reasons and collided with a Ford Explorer driven by 41-year-old Rodrigo Ramirez, who carried five passengers.

Moments later a Ford Superduty pickup right behind the SUV clipped the Explorer, causing the truck to spin out off the roadway.

Within seconds of the collision, William Hague III and Thomas Crossin, who were headed from Chico to Sacramento International Airport, came upon the scene, the CHP said.

The two men went to the Dodge pickup, which was almost fully engulfed in flames and pulled the injured driver, Ryan Finnerty, 21, of Roseville, out of his truck.

Hague then went to the passenger side of the SUV and with the help of Richard Martinez, the uninjured driver of the Ford Superduty, pulled an 11-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man from the Explorer.

Crossin suffered burns to his left hand and Hague was cut on his wrist during the rescues, but both men declined medical aid.

CHP units then arrived at the scene and tried to help. CHP officer Todd Irvin and an unnamed person first pulled Finnerty a greater distance from his burning pickup.

When CHP officer Troy Thompson arrived he immediately attempted to push at the back of the Explorer to get it away from the burning Dodge pickup, using push bumpers on his patrol car.

However, he could not move the Explorer. He then tried to push at the front of the Explorer, but was still unable to budge the SUV.

Thompson was forced to retreat when the fuel tank of the Dodge pickup ruptured, spilling gasoline onto the roadway and under the SUV. The gasoline was ignited by flames from the Dodge pickup and the SUV was enguled in flames withing seconds, the CHP said.

When CalFire arrived, officers discovered the four bodies inside the SUV after firefighters put out the flames.

The CHP said the dead were all from Live Oak and identified them as Ramirez, 41, Gustavo Martinez, Rigoberto Martinez, and Gabriella Rosas. Three people were also hospitalized.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Queenie Wong
qwong@sacbee.com

A full-sized Ford pickup truck crashed into a pizza restaurant in Roseville this morning, injuring the driver, according to police officials.

No one in the restaurant, at 384 N. Sunrise Ave., has been reported injured and the driver was transported to a local hospital, said Dee Dee Gunther, a spokeswoman for the Roseville Police Department.

At 11:31 a.m., officers responded to reports of a pickup truck crashing into the corner of the restaurant. When officers arrived at the scene, the driver was already out of the truck and on his feet, she said.

A building crew from Roseville is currently at the scene assessing the damage to the restaurant.

Call The Bee's Queenie Wong, (916) 321-1008.

By Queenie Wong
qwong@sacbee.com

A multiple-vehicle collision slowed down traffic on the southbound Interstate 5 on J Street this morning.

The accident occurred shortly before 8 a.m. between a white Volvo and a cement truck and ushered morning commuters to the left lane for about half an hour. All other lanes were closed.

The roadway off Q Street is now cleared, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Another accident involving two vehicles is currently slowing down traffic on Westbound Interstate 80 and Northbound Interstate 5.

Call The Bee's Queenie Wong, (916) 321-1008.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 48-year-old Rio Linda woman died Friday night after being struck by a car while crossing the road on Elkhorn Boulevard, California Highway Patrol officers said.

CHP spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton said Julie Ernst was running across the road near Sixth Street when the accident happened at about 6:40 p.m.

A 65-year-old Rio Linda man was westbound on Elkhorn Boulevard in his black Mustang and was attempting to change lanes. He glanced over to check his side mirrors and went he looked up again, she appeared in front of his vehicle, Dutton said.

It was a dark area and there was no crosswalk, Dutton said. Ernst had a dog with her. The dog was not hit.

Ernst died at the scene, Dutton said.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Interstate 5 near Sacramento International Airport is now open after a truck diesel fuel leak and a crash had closed a southbound lane.

The California Highway Patrol received a report of a big rig hauling hay leaking fuel in the slow lane about 7:10 a.m. on southbound I-5 north of Airport Boulevard.

Before units could respond, a crash occurred between a van headed to the airport and a pickup truck. The truck overturned off the roadway.

Injuries were reported to occupants of the van and the truck.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The drivers of a big rig truck and a transit bus have been taken to hospitals with major injuries following a collision on Highway 12, east of Highway 160.

Officer Angel Arceo, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol in Stockton, said the big rig pulling a set of double-bottom dump trailers was traveling west on Highway 12 about 4:40 p.m. just east of the San Joaquin-Sacramento County line. The driver came up on slower traffic and when she tried to slow down, the big rig jack-knifed and went into the eastbound lane where it collided with a South County Transit bus. The driver was the only person on the bus.

Arceo said the big rig, owned by Silva Trucking of French Camp, also collided with a Chevy Blazer, but the driver of the Blazer was not injured.

Arceo declined to give the names of the injured drivers, but he said the bus driver, a 53-year-old woman from Galt, was taken by air ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center. The big rig driver, a 59-year-old woman from Sutter Creek, was taken by air ambulance to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.

Highway 12 was closed in both directions for nearly three hours.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Coroner's Department has released the name of a woman who died in an early morning car crash today in Elk Grove.

She has been identified as Lynn Marie Silva, 51, of Elk Grove.

Police said she was traveling westbound on Elk Grove Boulevard at Highway 99 about 2:30 a.m. in an Chevrolet Camaro and for unknown reasons her car veered off the road.

The car went down an embankment, striking several trees, according to Elk Grove police spokesman Officer Chris Trim. The car then crossed northbound Highway 99 before coming to rest near the fast lane.

The vehicle suffered major damage before catching on fire, Trim said. The fire was extinguished by passing motorists.

The two faster lanes on Highway 99 were closed for several hours. All lanes opened at 6:12 a.m.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

An e-tran bus ran off the road after a collision involving a pickup at the intersection of Sheldon and Bradshaw roads in Elk Grove.

Minor injuries were reported to the drivers of the pickup and the bus. No injuries were reported to the six passengers on the bus, according to Elk Grove police spokesman Officer Chris Trim.

"It's not as bad as we first thought," said California Highway Patrol Officer Rich Wetzel. "Passengers have already been off-loaded into another bus and sent on their journey."

He said the bus and the pickup collided at about 6:30 a.m. The accident is under investigation.

The pickup blocked the roadway and the bus ended up in a ditch along the road shoulder.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sutter County sheriff-coroner identified a Sacramento man who died last night when his vehicle collided with a big rig on Highway 99 in Sutter County.

He was identified as 33-year-old Ryan Edgmon.

Edgmon was traveling southbound about 10 p.m. Monday on Highway 99 south of Yuba City near Graffis Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A CHP news release stated the vehicle he was driving turned to the left, crossing over the solid double yellow lines into the path of a northbound tractor-trailer rig.

The truck driver was not injured, according the CHP report.

A passenger in Edgmon's vehicle complained of pain and was taken to a hospital. No other details were available on the passenger's condition

Highway 99 was closed from the Garden Highway to Highway 113 for about four hours for the crash investigation and to clean up a fuel spill from the big rig.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man was pronounced dead early this morning after his truck veered off Interstate 80 in Roseville and crashed into a construction area.

The Placer County Coroner's Office determined that the incident resulted from a medical issue, according to a Sheriff's Department spokeswoman. The nature of the medical condition was not disclosed, and the man's name has not been released.

California Highway Patrol investigators said the elderly man's Dodge pickup left westbound I-80 near Highway 65 about 4:30 a.m. and drifted into the construction area.

No other vehicles were involved and the truck sustained minor damage. Traffic on the freeway was not affected.

The man was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has died from injuries suffered in a rollover wreck over the weekend.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Department reported that Manuel Mercado, 19, died Wednesday.

Mercado was a passenger in a sports utility vehicle that was traveling at a high rate of speed eastbound on X Street around 2 a.m. on Saturday, according to police. The SUV was approaching the 26th Street onramp to Highway 50 when the vehicle made an abrupt turn to avoid colliding with some construction barriers, police said.

The driver lost control, which caused the SUV to roll over. Three of the 7 people in the SUV were ejected, including Mercado, police said.

The accident is under investigation.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Authorities are at the scene of a collision on eastbound Capital City Freeway near the Jefferson Boulevard exit.

According to an online traffic report by the California Highway Patrol, the collision happened just after 6 p.m. and witnesses reported vehicles blocking lanes.

The report did not indicate that there were injuries. Details were not immediately available.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento Police are investigating the events that preceded a strange accident that sent several people to the hospital early today.

A white GMC Yukon eastbound on X Street flipped over near Alhambra Boulevard shortly before 2 a.m., police reported.

Officers found six people outside the vehicle, three with major injuries. They were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Police determined one of the car's occupants also had a gunshot wound in his arm. It was not known whether the gunshot victim was the driver or a passenger.

A gun was found amid debris from the accident, and two of the vehicle's occupants were "validated gang members," said Sgt. Norm Leong.

The cause of the accident is unknown.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcala, (916) 321-1987.

By Ed Fletcher
eflectcher@sacbee.com

A detective investigating a Roseville head-on collision that killed a man on the run from police and injured four children credited the kids' safety seats for decreasing the severity of the injuries.

"Those car seats really saved those kids," said Detective Jerry Wernli, of the Roseville Police Department.

The incident began shortly after 11:40 a.m. when officers spotted an Audi sedan speeding northbound Washington Boulevard at approximately 75 mph, Wernli said.

Officers began pursuit, but disengaged out of concern for public safety as the driver blew through intersections and nearly struck a vehicle.

Moments later, motorcycle officers driving northbound on Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard had to take evasive action to avoid the still speeding Audi driver.

The motorcycle officers turned around to restart the pursuit, Wernli said.

By the time officers caught back up to the southbound Audi, it had stuck a Honda Odyssey minivan heading north on Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard at Horncastle Avenue.

Wernli police don't yet have an estimate of how fast either vehicle was traveling at the time of the collision.

"He drove into the northbound lanes. It doesn't appear that he tried to stop," he said.

The Audi, which was reported stolen from an area used car dealership, caught on fire as a result of the collision. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The female driver of the minivan and the four children - all under the age of five - suffered moderate to minor injuries.

The woman is believed to be the children's daycare provider, Wernli said. The driver and children were transported by ambulance to area hospitals.

"In my opinion, (the safety seats) seemed to mitigate the injuries. It would have been much worse had they not been in safety seats," he said.

Wernli said as of 2:30 p.m. today, police had not identified the Audi driver or searched the vehicle.

The Audi was reported stolen Wednesday, but the report had not reached officers at the time of the pursuit, Wernli said.

The intersection remained closed this afternoon as the investigation continued.

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department is investigating two accidents - one resulting in a fatality and the other a hit-and-run - that occurred within a few blocks of each other this morning in North Natomas.

An 80-year-old woman who was walking her dog died after she was struck by a vehicle.

Police reported that the woman and her dog were in the crosswalk at North Park and Banfield Drive shortly before 8 a.m.

The driver of an eastbound vehicle hit her.

She was taken to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. According to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office's online records, she was identified as Lifang Chow Liou.

Police said neighbors found the uninjured dog running loose and turned it over to the woman's son, who lives in the area.

The driver remained at the scene, and police said there was no indication that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the accident.

The other incident occurred at Danbrook and Club Center drives, also about 8 a.m., when a youth who was riding his bicycle to school was struck by a vehicle. The driver left the scene.

Police said the boy suffered moderate injuries.

The vehicle involved was described as a gray Nissan Pathfinder with a hanging bumper. Anyone who sees a similar vehicle is asked to record the license number and call 911.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A West Sacramento woman died Wednesday after the car she was driving drifted into oncoming traffic and struck a big rig on County Road 22 in Woodland.

Clara Mattos, 83, was eastbound in her tan Chrysler on County Road 22 about noon when the car drifted into the westbound lane and struck the side of the big rig, according to a California Highway Patrol release.

Authorities have not determined what caused the car to drift into the westbound lane, but they said alcohol is not considered a factor.

Mattos was flown to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where she was pronounced dead, according to the CHP.

The driver of the big rig was not injured. There were no passengers in either vehicle.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Bee Staff

Elk Grove police are investigating a motorcycle crash that killed a 43-year-old man.

Officers responded to a 911 call about a single-vehicle motorcycle accident at Auberry and Geneva Pointe drives and found the victim, a police spokesman said.

Officers believe the unidentified victim was driving his motorcycle south on Auberry Drive, lost control and hit a tree.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Elk Grove Police Department Traffic Bureau at (916) 478-8148.

By Chelsea Phua and Bill Lindelof
cphua@sacbee.com

The name of a man killed a car crash in the Del Paso Heights area last night has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's Department.

He has been identified as Hector Gutierrez-Garcia, 43, of Sacramento.

The crash happened about 9:20 p.m. near Rio Linda Boulevard and Harris Avenue, police said.

Spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said witnesses reported seeing a white pickup truck on the southbound lane of Rio Linda Boulevard attempting to pass other vehicles by driving onto the opposing lane. The truck then lost control, crashed into a tree and became engulfed in flames.

Both men ended outside the truck, where other motorists tried to pull them as far away as possible from the burning truck.

Gutierrez-Garcia died at the scene. The other, a man in his late 30s, was taken to hospital in critical condition. Police believe there was a third man inside the truck who left the scene and is missing, but is believed to be injured.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

Carmichael yogurt shop expects to re-open shortly after a car drove through the front of the shop this afternoon, taking out two panes of glass including the front door.

Around 12:40 p.m., a silver Honda driven by an 83-year-old Citrus Heights woman plowed into Lickity Split Yogurt on Madison Avenue, said a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol.

The woman was pulling into a parking spot when she accidentally hit her car's acceleration pedal instead of the brake, said CHP Officer Lizz Dutton.

The Honda hit a parked Acura and Lexus before running over the curb and into the shop, Dutton said.

The woman complained of chest and back pain and was taken to a nearby hospital, Dutton said. Nobody in the shop was injured, she said.

The front of the shop is all glass panes, and the Honda took out two panes in the front right corner of the shop, said Lickity Split employee Brandon Hanson.

The shop is installing a temporary door and expects to re-open this afternoon before 5 p.m., Hanson said.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Six juveniles have been taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with minor to moderate injuries after their car went into a ditch off Rollins Lake Road near Colfax.

The single-vehicle accident occurred about 2 p.m. on Rollins Lake Road between Highway 174 and the Long Ravine Campground.

Officer Steve Parr of the California Highway Patrol's Gold Run office said the six juveniles were a Toyota Camry, which was traveling at an unsafe speed along the winding road. The driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a ditch.

One victim was taken by CHP helicopter and another by a Calstar air ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, Parr said. The other four were transported by ground ambulance.

Helicopters were called in because it was initially believed some of the victims might have suffered major injuries, Parr said.

Parr said he did not know where the youths live.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

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By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove pedestrian has died after being struck by a car while crossing a street in that city Monday night.

The victim, 34, was crossing the street at Elk Grove Boulevard and Waterman Road when he was hit by a black Honda del Sol, an Elk Grove police spokesman said.

The Honda was southbound on Waterman, said Officer Christopher Trim, police spokesman.

Police responded to the area at 9:05 p.m. and found the victim suffering from "severe, life-threatening injuries," Trim said.

The victim was transported to a local area hospital, where he was declared dead, Trim said. The victim's identity was not immediately available.

Whether the victim was in a crosswalk is still under investigation, Trim said.

The driver, a male adult, pulled over about 100 feet from the collision and stayed on scene, Trim said. He is currently being interviewed by traffic investigators, Trim said.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Phillip Reese
preese@sabee.com

A 19-year-old man died Friday night when a vehicle struck him as he skateboarded down a steep hill in Auburn.

Nicholas Brown of Elk Grove was swerving across Auburn-Folsom Road south of Indian Hill Road about 9 p.m. Friday when he was struck by a Toyota pickup truck, according to Sgt. Dale Hutchins of the Auburn Police Department. Both the truck and the skateboarder were heading south.

"It's a pretty steep decline," said Hutchins.

The accident is still under investigation, but no citations were issued at the scene, Hutchins said. No one in the pickup truck was injured.

Call The Bee's Phillip Reese, (916) 321-1137.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man suspected of drunk driving crashed his speeding motorcycle in Sutter County, causing major road rash injuries to his niece -- and bringing Boy Scouts to the rescue.

Garrett Charles Lee, 24, of the community of Sutter, Sutter County, was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol and child endangerment.

His niece, Hope Heaven Gage, 14, of Yuba City, suffered a broken left foot and skin abrasions caused by the road surface to her arms, stomach and legs.

The CHP gave this account of the incident:

Lee was speeding eastbound on Butte House Road near North Humphrey Road west Yuba City about 9 p.m. Monday on a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 550. His niece was seated on the rear of the motorcycle.

Witnesses said he was passing vehicles in a series of turns over a double yellow line. During one pass he drifted onto the road shoulder and lost control.

The motorcycle went down on its side and Lee was ejected and thrown into a water-filled drainage ditch.

He was found clinging to the bank of the ditch by Boy Scouts who stopped to help. The Boy Scouts aided Lee, who suffered moderate road rash, before fire department and ambulance personnel arrived.

Passenger Gage was thrown to the ground. Both were transported to Rideout Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man is being treated for major injuries sustained when he crashed a stolen vehicle after leading police officers in a pursuit Interstate 80 and Interstate 5 this afternoon.

Lt. Tod Sockman of the West Sacramento Police Department said Modesto Nance, 24, suffered broken bones after he was ejected from a pickup truck when it crashed into a guardrail at Interstate 5 and Q Street.

Lt. Glenn Glasgow of the Davis Police Department said the incident began in Davis about 3:15 p.m. when the owner of a pickup pulling a trailer loaded with appliances and scrap metal was doing some maintenance work on the vehicle at a gas station and minimart at 333 Mace Blvd.

Sockman said a man, later identified as Nance, got into the vehicle and drove off. A patron at the gas station followed the truck and trailer as it headed east on Interstate 80 but lost it as it crossed the causeway between Davis and West Sacramento.

Davis Police issued a stolen vehicle bulletin, and Sockman said a West Sacramento police officer traveling on Jefferson Boulevard spotted the truck and trailer on the freeway crossing the Pioneer Bridge and pursued it.

Sockman said the truck and trailer started to go southbound on Interstate 5 but at the last second cut northbound, hitting another car, then took the offramp heading toward Q Street. The truck crashed into the guardrail, ejecting the driver and spilling the truck's contents. Sockman said the vehicle rolled another 200 feet before coming to a stop.

Although injured, Nance wrestled with the police officer before being taken into custody.

Sockman said Nance was being treated at a hospital for major but non-life-threatening injuries, and will be arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, felony evasion and resisting arrest. Nance also had four outstanding misdemeanor warrants, Sockman said.

Glasgow of the Davis Police Department said the victim was hearing impaired, but a good Samaritan at the gas station knew American Sign Language and assisted police with the stolen-vehicle report.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

An arrest warrant has been issued for a man wanted for allegedly causing the death of a motorcyclist and a 4-month-old child last week.

Thomas M. Roberts, 50, of Newark is wanted on two counts of second-degree murder, drunken driving and drug charges, the CHP states.

The CHP gave this account of the events leading to the fatal crash:

The collisions began at about 10 p.m. Tuesday on Interstate 505 near Winters when a southbound car driven by Roberts struck the median. The car then went out of control and hit a guardrail at the Putah Creek bridge abutment.

The car spun back into the traffic lanes and was hit from behind by another southbound car. The two cars came to rest blocking two lanes and one of the vehicles was struck by a third car.

A southbound motorcyclist, Oscar Alfaro, 48, of Antioch attempted to avoid the smashup by passing on the freeway's right shoulder, but he lost control, hit the bridge abutment and was thrown into the creek, said CHP Officer Phil Gruidl.

Alfaro died at the scene, the CHP said. The 4-month-old child, identified by the CHP as Roberts' grandson, Daniel Roberts, died Friday the UC Davis Medical Center from his injuries.

Roberts was initially arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, the CHP said. He suffered minor injuries.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol has reported that a portion of Highway 20 near Parks Bar Bridge east of Marysville is closed this afternoon following a collision involving a big rig truck and another vehicle.

According to the CHP's website the big rig caught fire and another vehicle appeared to be trapped beneath the truck and burning also.

One victim was being taken to a hospital by air ambulance.

The accident was reported shortly after 3 p.m.

Further details were not available.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County coroner's department released the name of a motorcyclist who died this morning when he struck a road crew's orange traffic cone and his vehicle went out of control in Fair Oaks.

The coroner identified the victim as Todd Jacob Stahl, 45, of Orangevale.

Stahl was traveling northbound on Sunrise Boulevard near Sunset Avenue about 2:45 a.m. when he approached warning signs and orange cones placed in the roadway. The cones were intended to direct motorists around a Sacramento County crew doing sewer work in the right lane, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Stahl's motorcycle hit one of the traffic cones, causing his motorcycle to go out of control, the CHP said.

Stahl was thrown from the motorcycle and his vehicle collided with a truck parked within the closure area, according to the CHP.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man who died Monday night in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 5 in south Sacramento County has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Eric James Faulk, 33, of Lodi.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Faulk was southbound on I-5 in a Ford F150 pickup shortly before 6 p.m. when for some reason he crossed over the northbound lanes. Witnesses reported that the truck became airborne, then landed on the side of the freeway.

Faulk was alone in the truck, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol reports that one person has died in a single vehicle on Interstate 5 north of Twin Cities Road in south Sacramento County.

CHP spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said a 33-year-old Lodi man was southbound in a Ford F150 pickup shortly after 6 p.m. when for some reason he crossed over the northbound lanes. Bradley said witnesses reported that the truck became airborne, then landed on the side of the freeway.

The driver was alone in the truck and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

The identity of the driver has not been released, pending notification of family.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke and Miranda Simon
clocke@sacbee.com

Divers with the Drowning Accident Recovery Team have pulled out a 22-year-old Walnut Grove man from a vehicle that went off the road into the Sacramento River near Highway 160 and Leary Road.

The body was found at 12:52 p.m. today, said California Highway Patrol officer Bernie Pico. The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the man as Isai Flores Mejia. No other passengers were in the car, Pico said.

CHP spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said the CHP received a report about 10 p.m. Wednesday of a broken guardrail that indicated a vehicle had gone off the road. Pico said the vehicle struck the guardrail before it fell into the water.

Officers were unable to locate a vehicle at the time, but the DART team went out this morning and found a four-door Mitsubishi sedan in the water.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Canadian police said that a cyclist from a Davis bicycle club has died in that country after being hit by a motor home.

Bruce S. Winder, 56, was with other bicyclists on vacation when he was struck by the recreational vehicle Wednesday on a highway in St. Joachim, northeast of Quebec City, in Quebec province, a police spokeswoman said.

Ann Mathieu, spokeswoman for the Quebec provincial police, said the investigation is not completed. However, she said that Winder was with a group of 20 other cyclists on the road.

Winder was making a left turn when struck by the motor home going in the same direction, she said.

A Quebec newspaper said another cyclist, Winder's wife, Ellen, was also injured.

"When the driver saw the cyclists, he tried to avoid them but he was not able to avoid them all," said Mathieu.

Winder had once served as the membership director of the 700-member Davis Bike Club.

"He and his wife are just outstanding cyclists and solid, salt-of-the earth kind of people," said Dan Shadoan, a longtime member of the club.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Placer County coroner has released the name of a pedestrian killed last week on Interstate 80 in Roseville.

She has been identified as Jodi Jenell Jones, 26, of Sacramento.

Jones was walking on I-80 July 21 when she was struck by a big rig and other vehicles.

It is not clear why the woman was on eastbound I-80 just east of Douglas Boulevard about 4:40 a.m.

Her family had reported her missing the day before she died.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Matthew Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A 20-year old man drowned in Placer County Sunday afternoon when he dove into a lake and did not resurface.

The victim drowned near the south shore of Camp Far West Lake, a Placer County Sheriff's Department dispatcher confirmed.

Sheriff's department personnel responded to reports of a possible drowning shortly after 4 p.m.

The victim's identity was not immediately available.

Call The Bee's Matthew Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento County coroner's deputies today have released the name of a man who died when his car went into the Mokelumne River.

He was identified as Joseph Chi Lam, 18, of Sacramento.

The accident occurred shortly before 4:19 p.m. Sunday on Brannan Island Road at State Route 12 near the B&W Marina in Isleton, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The car was not pulled out of the water until just before 10 p.m., CHP Officer Michael Bradley said.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Matthew Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

Witnesses identified a car believed to be involved in the fatal hit-and-run of a bicycle rider in south Sacramento Saturday night as an older black SUV, according to a Sacramento Police Department release.

The victim was riding his bicycle west on Florin Road near 29th Street when he was struck by a vehicle around 9:15 p.m. Saturday, the release said.

The driver of that car sped away, police said. Witnesses said the car could have been either a Ford Explorer or a Chevy Blazer, the release said.

A second vehicle then ran over the bicyclist in the street. The driver stopped, indicating that he had not seen the victim, the release said.

The victim's identity was not immediately available. Police said that he was a black male adult in his 30s.

Investigators hope the driver of the black SUV will come forward, the release said.

The Sacramento Police Department urges anyone with information pertaining to this incident to contact Detective Schrum at (916) 808-6032.

Call The Bee's Matthew Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Cathy Locke and Bill Lindelof
clocke@sacbee.com

A 24-year-old Dixon man died this morning in a collision on Midway Road east of Nunes Road near Dixon.

A 2008 Peterbilt truck and trailer owned by San Francisco-based SF Recycling had emptied a load at a landfill south of Dixon and was traveling west on Midway Road about 8 a.m., said Officer Chris Parker, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

James C. B. Robben was driving a 2007 Ford F250 pickup and had backed the truck into a service entrance to the Veterans Cemetery on the south side of Midway. He moved forward and stopped at the white fog line on Midway, and then for unknown reasons drove north across Midway, directly into the path of the big rig, Parker said.

The driver of the big rig, Anastacio Serrano, 40, of San Francisco, applied his brakes but was unable to avoid the pickup. The big rig collided with the right side of the pickup, causing the pickup to overturn on the north shoulder of Midway Road.

Parker said Robben was partially ejected from the pickup truck and suffered fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Serrano was not injured.

Midway Road was closed for approximately two hours for cleanup and investigation of the collision.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Placer County coroner is requesting help in identifying a pedestrian killed Wednesday on Interstate 80 in Roseville.

The woman was walking on I-80 Wednesday morning when she was struck by a big rig and other vehicles.

It is not clear why the woman was on eastbound I-80 just east of Douglas Boulevard about 4:40 a.m.

The woman is either white or Latino, between 25 and 35 years old, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 200 pounds, the Placer County coroner said in a news release. The dark-haired woman was wearing black pants and a black shirt.

Anyone who might be able to identify the woman is asked to call Chief Deputy Coroner Dennis Watt at (530) 889-7878.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Three people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a big-rig truck overturned on Interstate 5 near Woodland late Tuesday afternoon, closing southbound lanes to traffic for nearly two hours.

Officer Keerat Lal, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, said the truck was pulling a flatbed trailer with a load of PVC pipe and was traveling too fast as it entered southbound I-5 from the cloverleaf onramp at County Road 102 shortly before 5 p.m. The driver lost control and the truck toppled over on its left side, dislodging its load. The pipes scattered across the roadway striking a box truck, and Chrysler and Ford sedans.

Lal said two people in the Chrysler and the driver of the Ford were taken to UC Davis Medical Center complaining of pain, but he said their injuries were not believed to be serious.

The southbound lanes reopened to traffic about 7 p.m., after the pipes were moved to the side of the roadway.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof and Queenie Wong
blindelof@sacbee.com

The name of the 19-year-old man who police say died during an illegal street race in Rancho Cordova has been released today by the Sacramento County Coroner's department.

He was identified by coroner's deputies as Kevin Hiroshi Imura, 19, of Sacramento.

Sgt. Tim Curran, spokesman for the Rancho Cordova Police Department, said officers responded shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday to a collision between two motorcyclists in the area of Freestone Way and Edington Drive.

Rancho Cordova police found Imura lying in the street suffering from severe injuries. Paramedics arrived quickly and pronounced him dead.

Investigators say Imura was racing with another motorcyclist when the two collided, causing Imura to lose control of his motorcycle and crash.

The 20-year-old rider of the other motorcycle and witnesses were detained for questioning. Officers said about 20 motorcyclists authorities believe were involved in street racing were at the scene.

Curran said the Rancho Cordova police Major Accident Investigation Team will determine the circumstances of the crash and forward its findings to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

The district attorney will determine if charges will be filed against the other racer, who was uninjured.

Curran said that the area is a well known area for illegal street racing because it's an undeveloped area.

Anyone who witnessed the collision and did not speak with officers at the scene is urged to call detective Ron Brazell at (916) 875-9623.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

KCRA: 1 killed in street racing crash

By Queenie Wong
qwong@sacbee.com

A multi-vehicle crash on the Capital City Freeway sent seven people to the hospital Monday night, slowing traffic just north of E Street in Sacramento, the California Highway Patrol said.

Victims were transported to UC Davis Medical Center and Kaiser South Sacramento Medical Center. There were no deaths reported, but one person suffered a broken arm, CHP Sgt. Scott Baland said.

One other person involved in the accident was not taken to the hospital, Baland said.

Sacramento firefighters and medical crews at about 9:30 p.m. responded to the scene where authorities say a collision between a Honda CR-V and a motorcycle caused two other vehicles to roll off the freeway embankment on 29th Street. All lanes were reopened to traffic at 10:51 p.m.

Cause of the collision between the Honda and motorcycle is being investigated.

Call The Bee's Queenie Wong, (916) 321-1008.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The Willows woman whose lane change led to the traffic wreck that took the life of Sacramento sheriff's Deputy Kelley Allen Lara last year pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter today and was sentenced to 150 hours of community services.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary Ransom imposed the sentence as a result of the plea agreement worked out between the District Attorney's Office and the lawyer for defendant Stacy Lynn Taylor.

Sacramento prosecutors said in a press release that there was no evidence that Taylor exhibited any reckless or aggravated disregard for the safety of others in the Aug. 6, 2009, incident, in which Lara was killed while driving to work. Those are the elements that would have been needed to sustain a felony case against the 22-year-old defendant.

Taylor also had been charged in the case with felony hit and run, but the DA's news release said there was reasonable doubt whether the woman was involved in the wreck and whether she knew she was involved.

Some 17 friends and relatives of Lara, a 43-year-old mother of four, wrote letters to the court extolling the career of the 15-year sheriff's veteran and asking the judge to impose as stiff a term as possible on Taylor.

Her husband, Don Lara, called Taylor's driving a "willful, careless and criminal act."

Call The Bee's Andy Furillo, (916) 321-1141.

Previous coverage:

Marcos Breton: On simple trips, tragedy can lurk - Aug. 12, 2009

Sacramento County deputy who died in crash was born to the job - Aug. 11, 2009

'We're so sorry,' says mother of suspect in Sacramento deputy's fatal crash - Aug. 8, 2009

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

California's "hands-free" law, which prohibits talking on a hand-held phones while driving, has been in effect for two years, but statistics indicate far too many motorists still haven't gotten the message, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Cell phones are the leading, identifiable, contributing factor to inattentive driver crashes in the state, the CHP says.

According to the CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System data, since the hands-free law became effective July 1, 2008, more than 1,200 collisions have occurred statewide in which a contributing factor was driver inattention due to cell phone use. Those collisions resulted in 16 fatalities and more than 850 people injured.

The law prohibits the use of hand-held cell phones by all motorists. It also forbids anyone younger than 18 from using any type of cell phone - hand-held or hands free - while driving. Six months later, a ban on text messaging by drivers also took effect.

Since the hands-free law's inception, CHP officers have issued more than 244,000 citations statewide to motorists who were in violation of the law, according to a CHP news release.

In Sacramento County during this same period, law enforcement agencies issued 34,673 citations to drivers using hand-held cell phones, according to Sacramento Superior Court statistics. A total of 262 citations were issued to drivers younger than 18 for using a mobile/wireless device.

Cell phone violations carry a minimum base fine of $20 for the first offense and $50 for the second. When court costs and other fees are added to the fines, the total cost of the violation exceeds $100 for the first offense, officials said.

For more information about the hands-free laws, see the CHP's website at www.chp.ca.gov.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke and Bill Lindleof
clocke@sacbeec.om

A 26-year-old woman who died in a crash Monday morning on Interstate 80 in the Sierra Nevada has been identified by the Nevada County Coroner's Office as Ruby Navarette of Stockton.

The crash occurred at 5:30 a.m. on westbound I-80 just west of Eagle Lakes Road and east of Emigrant Gap.

A California Highway Patrol spokesman said the driver, Navarette, was ejected from the car when it rolled in the dirt center divider area. Navarette was not wearing her seatbelt was thrown 75 feet from the car, the CHP said. Her male passenger was wearing a seatbelt and suffered only moderate injuries.

Witnesses reported that the car swerved several times before leaving the roadway. The CHP is looking into whether Navarette might have fallen asleep at the wheel.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Butte County coroner has identified a motorcyclist who was killed Monday when the bike he was riding slammed into a car that pulled into his path on a Butte County road.

The motorcyclist was identified as Stephen Charles Greenman, 65, of Oroville.

Greenman was traveling west on Forbestown Road east of Oroville at about 4 p.m. when an 18-year-old woman driving east in a 1994 Geo Prism slowed and turned left at Hurleton Road.

The motorcycle, a 2009 Harley-Davidson, struck the right side of the car, the impact throwing Greenman from the bike and causing fatal injuries.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 26-year-old woman was killed this morning in a crash on Interstate 80 in the Sierra Nevada.

The 5:30 a.m. accident occurred on westbound I-80 just west of Eagle Lakes Road and east of Emigrant Gap.

A California Highway Patrol spokesman at Gold Run said the driver of the car, who was not immediately identified, was ejected from her car when the vehicle rolled in the dirt center divider area.

The victim was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected 75 feet from the car, the CHP said. Her male passenger was buckled in and suffered only moderate injuries.

Witnesses said the car swerved several times before leaving the roadway. The CHP is looking into whether the woman might have fallen asleep at the wheel.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A pickup truck driver died this morning after his vehicle ran off the road in Rancho Cordova.

The accident happened at 6:40 a.m. on White Rock Road at Luyung Drive when the truck left the roadway and entered a field. Rancho Cordova police are investigating the accident.

White Rock Road is closed between Grant Line Road and Luyung Drive. The California Highway Patrol estimates the roadway will be closed until 9:30 a.m.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Toxicology tests will be conducted on a man who was hit by two vehicles and killed while crossing southbound lanes of the Capital City freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The 48-year-old man was hit about 1 a.m. Monday when he tried to cross from the fast lane to the shoulder of the road between Marconi and El Camino avenues.

His name has not been released, pending notification of family.

He was hit first by a car and that driver stopped and called 911. A truck that did not stop also struck the man's body, the CHP said.

There were no vehicles parked along the shoulder of the road or the center divide that might have belonged to the man, the CHP said.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A traffic accident on Interstate 80 just east of Davis is causing severe traffic problems.

The California Highway Patrol reports that westbound I-80 traffic is backed up from Davis to West Sacramento.

A van crashed near Mace Boulevard triggering the backup and causing a small vegetation fire. The fire has been extinguished.

No information about the driver of the van is available yet.

Call the Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof and Cathy Locke
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man killed by a car this morning on the Capital City Freeway has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Roy William Pearson, 48, of Sacramento.

Pearson was hit by a white Toyota about 1 a.m. while walking in or along the southbound lanes of the freeway between Marconi and El Camino avenues.

The two right lanes of the freeway were closed until about 3:30 a.m. The Toyota's driver stopped after striking the man.

By Robert D. Dávila
bdavila@sacbee.com

A 24-year-old Sacramento man driving with a gunshot wound in the hand has been arrested after running a red light last night and crashing into an SUV carrying a woman and four children at Watt Avenue and Longview Drive, according to the California Highway Patrol.

No one was seriously injured in the crash at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, although all the victims were taken to a hospital as a precaution, officials said.

Larry Houghton Jr. ran a red light while driving southbound on Watt Avenue in a 1991 Lincoln Continental, CHP Officer Lizz Dutton said. He crashed into a 2004 Ford Expedition carrying four children driven by a 41-year-old woman, Dutton said.

His car also swerved into northbound lanes and hit a Honda, Dutton said. A passenger in the Honda reported minor injuries.

Houghton was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, driving without insurance, and driving without a valid license, Dutton said.

Meanwhile, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is investigating the earlier shooting. Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran said Houghton had left the Omega Court apartments in North Highlands before the crash.

"He is not talking," Curran said. "He's not telling us anything."

Call The Bee's Robert D. Dávila, (916) 321-1077.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Statewide this Memorial Day weekend was one of the safest in years for California drivers, CHP officials said today.

This year, 11 motor vehicle accidents over the holiday weekend resulted in 17 fatalities, a 62 percent drop from the 2009 statewide total of 45.

In 2008, the statewide total was 38 people killed in traffic accidents.

"We just credit it to increased awareness and better enforcement," said Erin Komatsubara, spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP has made the Memorial Day weekend a priority, placing every available officer on patrol. For statistical purposes the CHP deems 6 p.m. May 28 through 11:59 p.m. May 31 as the holiday weekend.

Of the 17 killed, 12 were in CHP territory and five there in incorporated cities.

The CHP also reported that DUI arrests are up from 1,465 in 2009 to 1,541 this year.

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

Police have identified the Granite Bay woman who received life-threatening injuries after being hit by a car on Old Auburn Road near Allegretto Way on Friday.

Mary Louise Herdegen, 50, was walking when she was struck by a 2001 Honda Accord driven by Ashok Kumar, 51, also of Granite Bay.

Herdegen was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center where she was listed in critical condition as of Sunday evening. Police closed Old Auburn Road for 5 1/2 hours while investigators examined the scene, according to Roseville Police Department news release.

The department's Major Accident Investigation Team is still determining the cause of the collision. Police are asking any witnesses to call the Roseville Police Department's traffic unit at (916) 774-5088.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.

By Jim Wasserman
jwasserman@sacbee.com

Roseville Police said Saturday that they have identified a Granite Bay pedestrian who received life-threatening injuries Friday after being hit by a car on Old Auburn Road near Allegretto Way in Roseville.

Officers did not release the name Saturday.

Police said the woman was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center after a 2:15 p.m. accident that closed the road for more than five hours.

A police spokeswoman said the victim was in critical conditon Saturday night. Police also declined to identify a 51-year-old Granite Bay motorist who struck the pedestrian.

Roseville Police asked that anyone with information regarding the accident call the agency's traffic unit at (916) 774-5088.

Call The Bee's Jim Wasserman, (916) 321-1102.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

An El Dorado County woman has turned herself into authorities who suspect her of impaired driving in a January car crash in Folsom that left two adults and three children injured.

Susan Moskalets (photo left), 46, of Somerset, surrendered Wednesday at Sacramento County Jail. She was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving and willful harming of a child.

Police said Thursday that Moskelats had a blood alcohol content of .07 and the drugs Naproxen and morphine in her bloodstream on Jan. 27 when her car was involved in a violent collision.

Police responded to East Bidwell Street and Bluestone Circle that night to find Moskalets' Mercedes station wagon at rest on the sidewalk, the car nearly ripped in half, police said at the time.

Witnesses told police that the Mercedes was southbound on East Bidwell traveling without headlights illuminated when it entered a left turn lane.

The car continued into the intersection against a red light and into oncoming traffic, police said.

A Dodge Durango entered the intersection on a green light, striking the Mercedes at the front passenger door.

Moskalets had her three young children in the car when the accident occurred. Moskalets was listed in serious condition that night, police said. One of her children suffered serious long-term injuries.

The driver of the Durango and two children were treated and released from the hospital.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A fatal collision this morning on Highway 50 in which a car that ran out of gas was rear-ended at freeway speed is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

At about 12:40 a.m., a 1998 Cheverolet Camaro driven by Rodney Glass, 37, of West Sacramento stopped on westbound Highway 50 in lane four, a transition lane to southbound Interstate 5.

A 52-year-old woman in the front seat of Glass' car did not have her seat belt on. Glass did have his seat belt on and also activated his emergency lights.

At the spot where the car ran out of gas, there are six freeway lanes. A 55-year-old Sacramento man in a Chevrolet El Camino was also westbound and was about to change from lane four to lane three, the CHP said.

The driver looked over his shoulder to view traffic and did not see the Camaro stopped. The El Camino hit the rear end of the Camaro.

Both drivers suffered moderate injuries. The woman was declared dead at the scene.

Her name was being withheld until family members could be notified.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Yolo County Coroner's Office has identified a driver who died after a single-vehicle accident Sunday in western Yolo County.

Tom Serafini, 53, of Winters, died after his vehicle left a rural county road about 10 p.m. and ran into a field. The coroner's department said he was ejected from the vehicle and was not wearing a seatbelt.

There were no passengers and alcohol was not suspected to be a factor, a California Highway Patrol officer said.

The accident occurred near the intersection of County Road 88 and County Road 29, near the city of Winters.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

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By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 28-year-old man died in a collision with a motorist suspected of drunken driving on Fruitridge Road this morning.

The collision between a pickup truck and car occurred about 1:30 a.m. on Fruitridge Road near Cabrillo Way in the Fruitridge Manor neighborhood.

Sacramento police said that two people in the truck were transported to UC Davis Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The pickup driver is being investigated for driving under the influence of alchohol.

The driver of the car was declared dead at the scene.

The car was eastbound on Fruitridge Road and the pickup was traveling in the opposite direction. It is not immediately clear which car drifted into the other vehicle's lane.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Cathy Locke and Bill Lindelof
clocke@sacbee.com

A man believed to have been a good Samaritan died this morning after being struck by vehicles at the scene of an accident on Highway 99 north of Mack Road this morning.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office identified the man as Robert Alverson, 50, of Sacramento.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said he did not have details on the cause of the original accident, which occurred about 5:10 a.m. He said three or for vehicles were involved in the collision and ended up on the center median.

Bradley said it appears that Alverson stopped on the northbound shoulder and was crossing the northbound lanes on foot when he was struck by a motorist believed to be driving under the influence. Alverson was propelled into the southbound lanes, where he was struck by a second vehicle.

Bradley said it was initially thought that Alverson had been ejected from a vehicle involved in the collision, but after media vehicles left the scene, one vehicle remained on the shoulder. The emergency flashers were on and the vehicle wasn't damaged. Bradley said officers found it was registered to Alverson.

The only other person injured was the first driver who struck Alverson. Although that driver was believed to be driving under the influence, Bradley said that does not mean he was at fault in the accident, which is under investigation.

All lanes in both directions of Highway 99 were closed for about three hours.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Christine Vovakes
Bee Correspondent

CHICO -- A head-on collision between a tanker truck and a sedan killed one person this morning and forced the closure of Highway 99 north of Chico when the tanker caught fire.

Authorities say the unidentified victim who was driving the sedan was attempting to pass another vehicle and hit the tanker in the oncoming lane.

The burning truck has been sending a huge plume of black smoke into the sky.

The driver of the tanker truck escaped the collision with minor injuries.

The truck was a dual tanker with gasoline in one tank and diesel in the other. Officials with Cal Fire-Butte County are letting the fire burn because using water to extinguish the blaze would cause hazardous materials to leach into the ground.

No fuels have spread to any waterways.

A smoke advisory was issued for residents near the scene. The accident happened in a sparsely populated part of rural Butte County.

Highway 99 is closed in both directions from just south of the Tehama County line to Broyles Road in Butte County. The California Highway Patrol says the road probably will remain closed until approximately 5:30 p.m.

By Bill Lindelof
blindleof@sacbee.com

Sacramento had its worst traffic day of the week today with backups on Interstate 80 and Sunrise Boulevard - plus the shutting down of Florin Perkins Road.

"It was surprisingly busy without any adverse weather to deal with," said California Highway Patrol Officer Rich Wetzel.

On I-80 several vehicles were involved in a non-injury accident in the westbound lanes between near Madison Avenue about 7:30 a.m.. At the same time there was another collision on westbound I-80 at Greenback Lane.

The accident that caused the most traffic backup occurred on northbound Sunrise Boulevard south of the American River about 7 a.m. An accident involving two vehicles, including one that overturned, affected both northbound and southbound lanes.

Both of those accidents are now cleared.

But the Florin Perkins accident still had the roadway closed at 9:30 a.m. where a big rig overturned and spilled coconut oil.

The truck spilled 57,000 pounds of the coconut oil. The oil spilled at about 1:30 a.m. onto the roadway at Florin Perkins Road near Belvedere Avenue.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Lodi police say their officers had a close call with an armed driver during a traffic stop early this morning.

Police said that they stopped driver Leon Garcia (photo left) for a minor traffic violation at about 1:30 a.m. After receiving Garcia's driver's license information, the officer returned to his patrol car to write a ticket.

Police said that another officer drove up but neither Garcia nor his two passengers were aware of the second officer's arrival. It was then that the second officer allegedly saw Garcia take a handgun from between the seats and begin laughing.

Garcia also began holding the gun in a way that suggested he was waiting for the first officer to return, police said.

In defense of his fellow officer, the later arriving police officer took a defensive position and ordered Garcia to drop the gun. Startled to see the second officer, Garcia drove away.

Lodi police and California Highway Patrol officers chased Garcia for 23 miles, a pursuit that ended in the town of Thornton, San Joaquin County. Garcia abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot, eluding capture.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com

A California Highway Patrol officers and three other people sustained injuries today when a sport-utility vehicle smashed into their stopped cruiser along Highway 50 in Sacramento.

The officers, whose injuries were not life-threatening, were assisting a stopped motorist on the shoulder of the eastbound lanes of Highway 50 at 16th Street when the SUV crashed into the back of the CHP cruiser.

CHP officials said the SUV driver may have been experiencing a "medical condition" at the time of the late-afternoon crash.

No names were released, and four people were taken to the hospital with various non-life-threatening injuries.

Call The Bee's Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184.

By Bee Staff

A 45-year-old male died in a single-vehicle accident tonight at Freeport Boulevard and Blair Avenue, police said.

The vehicle was "possibly traveling at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control," a police spokesman said.

No other details were available.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A teenager arrested today by the California Highway Patrol is suspected of causing a traffic collision two months ago in Rio Linda that killed a woman and injured four others.

Travis Moore (photo left), 19, of Elverta, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and four counts of felony reckless driving.

The California Highway Patrol said he was behind the wheel of a car on Feb. 16 that failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with a sports utility vehicle being driven by Christine Ingle, 45, of Rio Linda. Ingle died at the scene of the crash.

The CHP alleges that Moore was driving at a high rate of speed when he ran the stop sign on eastbound C Street. Ingle was driving on northbound 16th Street.

The front of Moore's car struck the left front of Ingle's SUV. The SUV spun out of control and Ingle, who was wearing her seatbelt, was partially ejected.

Moore's car rolled and three teen girls in the back seat, who were not wearing seatbelts, were ejected.

A right front passenger, another teen girl, became trapped in the car and had to be removed by firefighters.

Moore suffered cuts to his head and face and was released from the hospital.

The CHP reported that one girl who was in the back seat is still in a coma at UC Davis Medical Center, another was in a coma after suffering major injuries and the third girl had injuries that allowed her to be released shortly after the crash. The girl in the front pasenger seat of Moore's car suffered a broken arm and leg.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

Coroner's officials have identified the Sacramento man who died in a single-car accident today as Travis Moses, 63.

Moses was killed when the car he was driving left the roadway on Sunnybrae Drive and crashed into a tree. Sacramento police reported that there were apparently no witnesses to the accident.

A passerby on the street, near Cosumnes River College, notified police about 7 a.m., said Sgt. Norm Leong. It was not known how much earlier the accident happened.

Moses was the only occupant of the car. It is unknown why his car veered off the road into the tree. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcala, (916) 321-1987.

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By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

A motorcyclist who evaded Oroville police died after crashing into a school bus loaded with children, California Highway Patrol officials reported. A dog riding with the motorcyclist also was killed.

An Oroville Police Department officer attempted to make a traffic stop on the motorcyclist, whose identity has not yet been released, about 3:30 p.m. Friday on northbound State Route 70 near Montgomery Street.

Rather than stopping, the black Harley-Davidson motorcycle exited the highway, sped through a gas station and turned onto Grand Avenue, accelerating to more than 60 mph, the officer reported.

The officer stopped pursuit, but the motorcyclist reportedly continued speeding onto Table Mountain Boulevard, where he drifted across a double yellow line and hit the school bus, loaded with about 30 kids.

Neither the bus driver nor the children reported injuries, but the motorcyclist was killed instantly, as was a chihuaha riding with him. "He might've had it stuffed in his jacket," said CHP Sgt. Steve Dubravetz.

Officials believe alcohol or drugs were a factor. The collision is still under investigation.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcala, (916) 321-1987.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento woman was critically injured this afternoon when her vehicle traveled into oncoming traffic and was struck by Sacramento County Works truck.

Joshlynn Pendarvis, 23, was driving a red 1996 Ford Thunderbird on southbound Watt Avenue at 12:54 p.m., approaching the intersection of the eastbound Interstate 80 off-ramp. As Pendarvis approached the intersection, the light turned red and she proceeded through the intersection. When she realized traffic ahead of her was stopped, she turned her vehicle to the left traveling across the left lane and striking the center median where her vehicle became airborne, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

The Thunderbird traveled directly into the path of a white 2004 Chevy 3500 County Works truck that was traveling in the left lane of northbound Watt Avenue. The front of the truck struck the passenger side of the Thunderbird.

Pendarvis was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center with major head injuries and is listed in critical condition, the CHP reported. Her passenger, a 4-year-old girl, was taken to UC Davis Medical Center for precautionary reasons, according to the news release.

The driver of the county vehicle, Michael Caldwell, 28, of Rancho Cordova, was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical center with moderate injuries.

The left lane of northbound Watt Avenue was closed for approximately an hour.

The collision remains under investigation.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Chelsea Phua, Cathy Locke and Bill Lindelof
cphua@sacbee.com

A 55-year-old man who jumped to his death from an overcrossing on Interstate 5 did so after running his vehicle into the back of a disabled big rig, authorities said.

Sacramento County Coroner's officials identified the man as Eric C. Johnson. Public records showed he lived in Elk Grove.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said the Sacramento Police Department is investigating the death as a suicide, and the CHP is investigating the crash that preceded it.

Bradley said Johnson was driving a 2009 Honda when it struck the back of big rig on the Stonecrest Avenue overpass, south of Meadowview Road, about 12:30 p.m.

He said Johnson got out of the car and began running in traffic on Stonecrest. When witnesses tried to stop him, Johnson climbed up the fence on the overpass.

As a medium-size truck towing a bus approached northbound on I-5, he jumped in front of it.

Bradley said Johnson was struck by the truck and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The woman who died in a head-on collision on Foresthill Road on Monday has been identified as Pamela Hawkins, 52, of Foresthill, according to Lt. Jeff Ausnow of the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

The accident occurred about 7 a.m. near Happy Pines Drive. According to the California Highway Patrol, Graciela Mata, 56, of Foresthill was driving a GMC Acadia sport utility vehicle westbound when it was struck head-on by a Chrysler Sebring driven by Hawkins.

Hawkins was not wearing a seat belt and died at the scene, according to a CHP news release. Mata was wearing a seatbelt and was transported by air ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center with severe injuries.

The CHP said speed did not appear to be a factor, but the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Officer David Montijo, a CHP spokesman, said it probably would take two to three weeks to complete the investigation and toxicology reports.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A father with his 11-year-old daughter on the back of his motorcycle drove the bike to speeds reaching 120 to 125 mph before crashing and seriously hurting the child, the California Highway Patrol said.

No charges have been filed against Tarlochan Heir Jr., 32, of the Yuba County town of Olivehurst, a CHP news release states.

The CHP said Heir was speeding with his daughter on the back of his motorcycle on Feather River Boulevard in Olivehurst about 7 p.m. Saturday. A friend accompanied Heir and his daughter on a separate motorcycle.

A Yuba County sheriff's deputy saw the speeding motorcycles and began following them at about 115 mph. The deputy activated emergency lights on his squad car.

Heir's companion eventually pulled over just before Heir's motorcycle, a 2006 Kawasaki 1400, left the road and crashed, creating a cloud of dust observed by the sheriff's deputy.

Heir and his daughter, both wearing helmets, were thrown from the motorcycle. The father was scraped up, but his daughter suffered a compound fracture of her leg. Both were taken to the hospital.

The CHP said Heir had consumed alcohol before the crash and was on probation for a previous DUI conviction.

The accident is under investigation. Authorities ask anyone who witnessed the crash to call the CHP's Yuba-Sutter office at (530) 674-5141.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

A single-car accident early this morning killed Jeremy Bryson, 25, of Oroville, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The accident occurred about 2 a.m. along the Oroville-Quincy Highway, just west of State Route 162.

Investigators say a 1999 Honda Accord driven by Zachary Johnson, 24, of Oroville, was eastbound on the highway when it veered sharply and went into a high-speed skid.

The car's wheels hit a curb, causing it to launch into the air, flip and shear off a power pole. Bryson, who was a passenger in the car, suffered fatal injuries.

Johnson was treated for moderate injuries and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter involving a DUI. He was booked at Butte County Jail.

The road was closed temporarily to replace the power pole.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcala, (916) 321-1987.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Solano County coroner's officials have released the identity of the man killed in a fiery crash on April 2.

The man was identified as Charles Edward Shelburn, 21, of Fairfield.

His car swerved off a road south of Winters near the Yolo-Solano county line, hit a tree and caught on fire.

By the time authorities arrived about 7 a.m., the car had completely burned and the driver inside was charred beyond recognition, the California Highway Patrol said.

There were no witnesses, so it was unclear what time the car skidded off the road and into a walnut orchard along Winters Road south of Putah Creek Road.

The car skidded 60 feet into the grove before hitting the tree.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

Coroner's officials have confirmed the identity of the woman who was killed Friday when her car collided with a light rail train in south Sacramento.

Mary Eva King, 44, of Sacramento died of her injuries after driving her Honda Accord around light-rail warning arms on 47th Avenue at about 10 a.m., according to security video and witness statements, police reported.

The force of the impact split the car in two. There were no other occupants of the vehicle.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcala, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 44-year-old woman died from injuries suffered this morning when a light rail train collided with her car in South Sacramento.

The vehicle was struck as it drove around the light rail warning arms, Sacramento police said.

The light rail train hit the Honda Accord at 47th Avenue at about 10 a.m., the force of the collision splitting the car in half.

Police said a review of security video and witness statements revealed that the woman was traveling eastbound on 47th Avenue and light rail crossing arms were down.

To get across the tracks, she crossed into the westbound lanes and went between the safety crossing arms. At that moment the light rail train struck her car.

There were not other occupants in her vehicle.

Light rail service was interrupted for south Sacramento trains.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof and Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Orangevale man killed Wednesday night in a head-on collision with a wrong-way driver on Highway 50 has been identified as Bruce Michael Bone, 41, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department.

Bone died at the scene of the 11 p.m. collision on westbound Highway 50 west of Red Hawk Parkway.

The California Highway Patrol said that Theresa Ghersanich, 55, of Placerville, was driving her sport-utility vehicle eastbound in the westbound lanes when she collided with a car driven by Bone.

Ghersanich suffered major injuries and was taken by helicopter to a hospital.

She was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, the CHP said.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Early Friday, a vehicle swerved off a rural road just south of Winters near the Yolo-Solano county line, ripped off a tree and caught on fire, authorities said.

By the time authorities arrived about 7 a.m., the car had completely burned and the driver inside was charred beyond recognition, said Marvin Williford, Solano California Highway Patrol officer.

"It was obvious the car went up in flames and burned up for a while," Williford said.

Only four digits - three numbers and a letter - on the license plate did not melt, he said. If authorities had more letters to work with, investigators might have an easier time tracking the identity of the driver, believed to be the only occupant, Williford said.

There were no witnesses, so it was unclear what time the car skidded off the road and into a walnut grove along Winters Road south of Putah Creek Road.

Williford said a farm worker had reported to work at 4:15 a.m. and did not see the wreckage, so authorities are estimating the time of the accident about 6 a.m.

Someone who reported the wreckage initially thought it was a smoking brush pile, Williford said.

Investigators are looking into whether speed was a factor in the crash.

Williford said the road in the area had a gentle curve. The car skidded 60 feet into the grove before hitting the tree. The impact was so great it tore the walnut tree out of the ground, Williford said.

It's unclear if the car immediately burst into flames on impact or started to burn afterward, Williford said.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Bill Lindelof
blinelof@sacbee.com

A speeding car slammed into a parked big rig on Interstate 80 near Dixon this morning, killing one person.

The California Highway Patrol reported that at about 1:30 a.m. a 2001 Mercury Sable was eastbound on I-80 just east of the Midway Road when it left the road and struck a FedEx big rig on the shoulder of the freeway.

The impact pushed the big rig forward, but it remained o the shoulder. The car remained partially on the freeway.

Witnesses pulled the driver from the car but were unable to remove the passenger trapped in the right front seat.

The car caught fire and was engulfed in flames, killing the passenger.

The driver was flown to UC Davis Medical Center with major injuries.

Witnesses said it appeared that the Mercury's driver might have been racing with one or two other vehicles and estimated the car was traveling at more than 100 mph.

The CHP was attempting to identify both men in the Mercury. The driver of the big was unhurt.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

A 26-year-old man died Tuesday night when his car went out of control as he tried to pass another vehicle in the Yuba County foothills.

The California Highway Patrol reported that about 6:30 p.m. the Yuba City man was driving his 2004 Pontiac Grand Am south on a straight stretch of Willow Glen Road when he tried to pass a vehicle as a northbound vehicle approached.

The driver of the Grand Am swerved back into the southbound lane and lost control, traveling back into northbound lane.

The car then slid off the side of the road and slammed sideways into a power pole. The force of the impact on the car's passenger side destroyed the pole.

The driver was wearing his seat belt and the Grand Am was equipped with air bags that deployed, but the driver suffered fatal injuries from the violent side impact.

Identification of the driver was not available, pending notification of family.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A woman pushing a car that had run out of gas was struck and killed by a sports utility vehicle Monday night in Roseville.

Dawn Rachael Nelson, 34, of Roseville was transported by ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Roseville police and fire personnel responded about 7 p.m. to the accident in the northbound lanes of Foothills Boulevard overpass between Roseville Road and the Denio Loop.

Nelson was a passenger in a 1990 Nissan Maxima that ran out of gas on the overpass. Nelson and two other passengers were pushing the car when she was struck from behind by a northbound 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 17-year-old boy from Antelope.

The accident is being investigated by the Roseville Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Team.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 19-year-old Sacramento man died early this morning when he was struck by a car as he was walking along Florin Road near Highway 99.

Norman Patrick Bryson was walking east along Florin Road at 2:05 a.m. when he walked into the roadway and was hit by an eastbound Acura driven by a 25-year-old Sacramento man, said Officer Michael Bradley, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

Bradley said Bryson was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Acura was determined not to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and was not cited.

Bradley said the accident is under investigation. He asked anyone who may have witnessed it to call the CHP's South Sacramento Area Office at (916) 681-2300, or CHP dispatch at (916) 861-1300.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 773-6866.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man on an electric three-wheeled scooter was struck and killed Monday night in Antelope.

The man Reginaldo E. Rios, 58, of Antelope, was crossing Watt Avenue on his mobility scooter at Timberlane Place just after sunset about 7:35 p.m. when he was struck by a car traveling northbound on Watt Avenue.

The driver did not see Rios. Rios was dressed in dark clothing and his vehicle did not have reflectors or lights, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Rios, who was thrown from his scooter, died at the scene. There is no crosswalk at the point where Timberlane Place intersects Watt Avenue, the CHP said.

The accident is under investigation.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 25-year-old woman was killed in a crash after making a U-turn on Interstate 80 in Auburn early this morning.

She was identified by the California Highway Patrol as Sandra A. Hauser of Newcastle.

Hauser was traveling west on eastbound I-80 near Maple Street about 2:30 a.m., the California Highway Patrol says.

She then made a U-turn and headed east, but her vehicle began to swerve, went off the road, hit a rock embankment and overturned.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

A trip back from Thunder Valley turned into a long night for an area woman after a wrong turn left her in a ravine as police and firefighter struggled to find her, a Roseville police spokeswoman said today.

The 66-year-old woman was driving back from the casino the Tuesday evening when she ran off the end of a dead-end road and rolled into a ditch.

According to authorities, she first called her wireless provider at 611 -- it's unclear whether by accident or on purpose. That call to a Salt Lake City call center was eventually sent to Salt Lake's emergency dispatch center.

She called 911 at 9:05 p.m. which was received by Roseville's dispatch center, said Dee Dee Gunther a spokeswoman for the Roseville Police Department.

The woman reported that she was somewhere on Fiddyment Road in Roseville or Walerga Road in Sacramento County, sparking an emergency response from several agencies.

A call to woman's wireless provider helped narrow the search area, but without an exact location and the car not visible from the roadway emergency responders asked the 911 operator alert them when their blaring sirens got louder.

But before the police and firefighters could find her, a freelance journalist, who heard the scanner chatter, reached the scene and called emergency personnel at 9:42 p.m.

Gunther said the woman ran through a dead-end sign on Blue Oaks Drive near Fiddyment Road, plunging into a ravine 250 feet from the roadway.

"He called us and the firefighters rescued her," Gunther said. "And he took video."

Gunther questioned online reports stating the woman was trapped for three hours.

"It sounds like she was a little disoriented," Gunther said. "So I don't know how long she was in the car."

The woman was treated and release from an area hospital that evening, Gunther said.

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 47-year-old woman who died in a traffic accident earlier this while driving a golf cart in Sutter County was identified today by sheriff's officials.

The woman, Claudia Miller, a resident of the Robbins area in Sutter County, was hit Monday at the intersection of Del Monte Avenue and Highway 113. She died at the scene.

The California Highway Patrol said Miller, who was traveling east on Del Monte in the golf cart, failed to yield the intersection right-of-way to the driver of a pickup. The pickup was northbound on Highway 113 at about 55 mph.

The pickup's driver, Ruben Ramirez, Jr., 23, of Winters saw the golf cart only a second or two before impact, authorities say. He then tried to avoid the collision but struck the cart in the northbound lane of the highway.

A CHP press release said the golf cart was not licensed for highway use. It was not equipped with seat belts.

It is unclear if Miller stopped at the stop sign before attempting to cross Highway 113. Anyone who may have observed the golf cart prior to the collision is asked to call the Yuba-Sutter CHP office at (530) 674-5141.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 47-year-old woman driving a golf cart died when struck by a pickup Monday in Sutter County.

The woman, who died at the scene, was hit at the intersection of Del Monte Avenue and Highway 113 near the town of Robbins.

The California Highway Patrol said the golf cart driver, who was traveling east on Del Monte, failed to yield the intersection right-of-way to the pickup's driver. The pickup was northbound on Highway 113 at about 55 mph.

The pickup's driver, Ruben Ramirez, Jr., 23, of Winters saw the golf cart only a second or two before impact, authorities say. He then tried to avoid the collision but struck the cart in the northbound lane of the highway.

The woman, a resident of Robbins, has not been identified pending notification of family.

A CHP press release said the golf cart was not licensed for highway use. It was not equipped with seat belts.

It is unclear if the victim stopped at the stop sign before attempting to cross Highway 113. Anyone who may have observed the golf cart prior to the collision is asked to call the Yuba-Sutter CHP office at (530) 674-5141.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 62-year-old Woodland man died when his pickup truck drove off the top of a levee into a utility pole.

The name of the motorist has not been released pending notification of relatives, Sutter County Sheriff's Department officials said today.

The man was driving his Chevrolet pickup on Cranmore Road atop a levee in Sutter County just north of Highway 113 about 10 p.m. Saturday night when his vehicle drifted onto the right shoulder. The driver over-corrected and then lost control.

The vehicle ran off the road and down the steep levee bank. The truck's front end and roof struck the utility pole at the bottom of the levee, a California Highway Patrol press release states.

The driver suffered head and other injuries and died at the scene.

The driver probably was not wearing his seat belt, the CHP said.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

A head-on collision in Elk Grove this morning has sent two people to the hospital.

The crash occurred about 5 a.m. at Bilby and Bruceville roads. Minor injuries were reported in the accident, the California Highway Patrol said.

Additional details were not immediately available.

By Bee Staff:

A motorcyclist died early Thursday after fleeing from a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy, authorities said.

A California Highway Patrol news release provides these details: About 11 p.m. Wednesday, a 28-year-old Sacramento man was on a blue 1993 Honda CBR 900 motorcycle southbound on Walnut at Marconi avenues, where a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department deputy was exiting a parking lot in a patrol car.

The cyclist looked at the deputy and accelerated rapidly onto eastbound Marconi. A chase ensued in which the motorcyclist reached speeds between 50 and 100 mph.

The suspect failed to slow or stop for a red traffic signal at Fair Oaks Boulevard and slid his motorcycle on its side into the rear passenger door of a car traveling on the boulevard. It was later determined that the motorcycle was reported stolen and the cyclist had a suspended driver's license.

The motorcyclist was transported to Mercy San Juan Medical Center where he died at 1:19 a.m., the CHP said. Sacramento County Coroner's office identified the motorcyclist as Christopher A. McDonald of Sacramento.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 55-year-old motorist has been charged in a fatal accident involving a bicyclist in Placer County.

A misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter was filed today against Patricia Louise Hernandez, 55, of Chicago Park in Nevada County.

She was charged in connection with the death of bicyclist James Rogers, 53, of Grass Valley. Rogers was struck and killed by a vehicle on Highway 174 near Colfax on Jan. 31.

Deputy District Attorney Clark Gehlbach alleges that Hernandez appeared to be distracted just before Rogers was struck as he rode on the side of the road at about 12:15 p.m.

An arraignment for Hernandez has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. March 23.

From Bill Lindelof:

Authorities are investigating a high-speed crash that killed one person and injured five others Tuesday night in Rio Linda.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office today identified the woman killed as Christine Ann Ingle, 45, of Rio Linda.

The California Highway Patrol at 10:12 p.m. responded to the violent collision of a Mercedes and Ford Explorer at the intersection of 16th and C streets. Ingle died at the scene.

Ingle, the driver of the Ford Explorer, was traveling north on 16th Street. The driver of the Mercedes was traveling east on C Street at about 70 to 100 mph at the time of the collision.

The CHP said that the driver of the Mercedes failed to stop at the stop sign and broadsided the Ford Explorer.

The injured, who all suffered major injuries, were taken to UC Davis Medical Center and Mercy San Juan Medical Center.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 28-year-old Diamond Springs man died in a traffic collision Wednesday on Highway 49 south of Placerville in El Dorado County. El Dorado County Coroner's officials identified the man who died in the Highway 49 crash Wednesday night as Frank Wilson Thompson III.

The California Highway Patrol reported that the accident occurred about 7 p.m. near Post Road when a Chevrolet pickup traveling south on Highway 49 collided with a Ford Escape sports utility vehicle that was traveling north.

The pickup driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died at the scene, the CHP said. The driver and a passenger in the SUV were taken to Marshall Hospital with minor injuries.

The CHP reported that the pickup drifted to the shoulder of the road and the driver lost control. He then over-corrected and veered into the northbound lane, where his vehicle collided with the SUV.

The front end of the SUV hit the side of the pickup.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 60-year-old Rio Vista woman died Wednesday afternoon in a head-on collision in the Delta region of Sacramento County, California Highway Patrol officials said today.

According to a CHP report, Janice R. Micheli was northbound on Highway 160, south of Brannan Island Road, when the crash happened at about 1:45 p.m.

A witness said Micheli's 2010 Honda Civic "suddenly and for no reason" swerved across the southbound lane and onto the shoulder. The car made a "hard" correction, back onto the northbound lane and into the path of a tractor-flatbed trailer, CHP officials said.

The impact blew apart the car and Micheli was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. The big-rig driver was taken to Sutter Delta Hospital with moderate injuries.

CHP Officer Michael Bradley said the reasons that the car drifted is still under investigation.

By Bill Lindelof and Chelsea Phua
blindelof@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol is investigating whether a driver's attention to a compact disc player may have led to an accident Thursday afternoon in Yolo County in which two men - a car driver and passenger - were killed.

Yolo County Chief Deputy Coroner Robert LaBrash identified the car driver as Luis Sarabia Trujillo, 23, of Woodland. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sacramento County Coroner officials identified the passenger as Omar Gaytan Sarabia, 20, also of Woodland. Gaytan Sarabia was taken to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where he died.

A news release from the CHP said that a pickup driven by David Pearl, 53, of Davis was northbound on County Road 89 in Yolo County at about 60 mph just after noon. Approaching from the southbound direction was a car with three passengers driven by Sarabia Trujillo.

The released stated that Pearl was "inattentive by looking at his CD player." That lack of attention to driving allowed his truck to drift onto the right shoulder, the CHP said.

Realizing his truck was off the roadway, he corrected to the left, crossing over into the southbound lane, the CHP said. The truck then struck the car with the three passengers, the CHP said.

The car went out of control and onto the dirt shoulder of the road where the left rear portion of the vehicle struck a telephone pole.

Francisco Gonzalez, 24, of Woodland suffered minor injuries and Edgar Blanco, 30, of Fairfield suffered major injuries.

Pearl was reported to have suffered minor injuries.

No information was immediately available on whether charges would be filed against Pearl.

From Anna Tong and Bill Lindelof:

A garbage truck and a satellite television installation van collided this morning on Folsom Boulevard, killing the van driver.

After the collision, the green garbage truck then crashed into a metal drive-through awning outside a children's daycare center. Nobody in the childcare facility, which was set back from the road, was hurt.

The accident occurred about 9:30 a.m. in the 8500 block of Folsom Boulevard, east of Florin Perkins Road.

Witnesses nearby said they heard a long scrape and then a dramatic boom.

It took nearly half an hour to remove the victims from their vehicles, said Sacramento Fire Department spokesman Capt. Jim Doucette.

The Dish Network van was heading east on Folsom and turned in front of the Sacramento County garbage truck, which was traveling west.

The white van was overturned and its front was completely crushed.

The garbage truck driver was taken to UC Davis Medical Center with major injuries.

Police did not identify the van driver, who was a Dish Network technician.

"He was always at work on time and was friends with all the customers and technicians," said Michael Back, manager at the Dish Network service center where the driver worked.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating a collision between a Roseville police officer and a 19-year-old woman Tuesday night.

No one suffered life-threatening injuries, Roseville police Sgt. Jason Bosworth said.

The collision happened shortly after 9 p.m. at Pleasant Grove and Washington boulevards, police said.

The officer was westbound on Pleasant Grove Boulevard and making a left turn when the accident happened. The woman, who was driving a 2-door sports car, was eastbound.

Bosworth said the officer was responding to a routine call, which does not require lights and sirens to be on. It's not clear who had the green light.

The CHP is investigating to ensure impartiality, Bosworth said.

- By Chelsea Phua

From Bill Lindelof:

Chandra Lau was heading to her Antelope home Monday the same way she does every weekday after leaving work downtown in the evening.

She travels north on 16th Street, then picks up the Capitol City Freeway, just like swarms of other commuters heading to Sacramento's northern suburbs.

But her routine got an abrupt jolt about 6:30 p.m. Monday as she passed under the railroad overpass near A Street and a large rock smashed into her vehicle.

Lau, a 26-year-old para-legal, said the evening's darkness prevented her from seeing who threw the rock, and there was nothing she could do to avoid being hit.

"It hit the hood of my car," she said. "And I was like: 'Oh, my god that is a huge freakin' rock.' "

A back passenger window on her SUV was shattered, apparently when the rock bounced off the hood of her vehicle.

She called Sacramento police, who found in the street a brick and several rocks, one of which was determined to be have hit Lau's Toyota.

Lau was shaken but unhurt. Since then, the "what ifs" have played on her mind.

"Had I been going faster or they threw it two seconds later it could have come through the windshield," she said. "It could have been so much worse. I am definitely truly blessed in a crummy situation."

She said police are considering the incident a felony assault attempt.

"In the daylight I always look up there because I have seen people standing up there before," she said. "But in the dark you can't see anybody up there."

A police spokesman said he was unaware of other incidents of rocks being thrown at cars in the area.

From Bill Lindelof:

The Placer County coroner has identified the driver of an SUV who died Sunday when he lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree near Highway 65 and Interstate 80.

The motorist was identified as Fernando Emmanuel Ortega, 20, of Auburn.

The accident was reported at 12:10 a.m. Sunday after Ortega, driving a 2000 Chevy Trailblazer, failed to negotiate the curve on the westbound I-80 connector to northbound Highway 65, left the roadway and hit a tree.

The SUV caught fire and was engulfed in flames.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The driver of an SUV died when he lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree near Highway 65 and Interstate 80.

The name of the driver has not been released, the California Highway Patrol said today.

The accident was reported at 12:10 a.m. Sunday after a man driving a 2000 Chevy Trailblazer failed to negotiate the curve on the westbound I-80 connector to northbound Highway 65, left the roadway, and hit a tree.

The SUV caught fire and was engulfed in flames.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A pedestrian died Wednesday when he bolted in front of a car on Highway 49 in Placer County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A 63-year-old Auburn woman was driving southbound on Highway 49 south of Atwood Road about 5:40 p.m. when witnesses said a pedestrian suddenly ran directly in front of her car.

The pedestrian, Michael Johnston, 53, of Colfax was struck and killed.

Johnston died at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate him. The driver was not injured or charged.

From Bill Lindelof:

The man killed this morning in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 99 has been identified by the Sacramento County coroner as Victor Mendoza, 37, of Sacramento.

Mendoza died after his vehicle hit a freeway divider then was smashed into by an SUV.

A passenger in the car, a four-door Chrysler Cirrus, escaped the vehicle before it was hit by the SUV, an Acura MDX, and was unhurt. Five people in the SUV were hurt, though the extent of those injuries has not been released.

The accident occurred about 1 a.m. on northbound Highway 99 just south of the Stockton Boulevard offramp when the Chrysler swerved to the left and struck the concrete center divider, said CHP spokesman Officer Michael Bradley. The vehicle ended up pointed southwest in a northbound lane.

The car's passenger got out, but Mendoza remained in the vehicle, which then was hit by the northbound SUV driven by a 33-year-old woman from Lincoln. The impact on the driver's side door of the Chrysler killed that car's driver.

The driver and four passengers in the SUV were taken to local hospitals.

From Bill Lindelof:

A teenage girl who was struck by a small pickup truck was conscious today and appeared to be doing better, police said.

The 13-year-old Roseville girl was hit by a pickup driven by a 17-year-old boy from Roseville shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday as the girl walked onto westbound Pleasant Grove Boulevard between Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard and the Mahany Park complex.

The pickup driver did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and was not traveling at a high speed, Roseville police said.

The girl, who initially was described as unconscious but breathing, was taken by ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where she is being treated.

Police said the girl was crossing the road to an apartment complex across from the Mahany complex.

From Bill Lindelof:

One woman was killed and another injured in a traffic collision this morning at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Auburn Boulevard near Interstate 80.

The crash killed Monica Colton, 36, of Sacramento and hurt Kym Goodman, 49, also of Sacramento.

The California Highway Patrol said Colton was driving west on Madison at 12:45 a.m. when her car slammed into a vehicle driven by Goodman. The CHP says Goodman had been eastbound and was turning through a signalized intersection north onto Auburn when the collision occurred.

One of the cars ran a red light, though authorities don't know which, said CHP Officer Lizz Dutton.

Colton was killed in the collision.

Goodman's vehicle caught fire, and passers-by pulled her from it. The people who aided Goodman left the scene before officers arrived.

Goodman was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center complaining of pain in her chest and leg.

From Kim Minugh:

A 14-year-old from Orangevale was killed Sunday when the pickup truck he was riding in slid off snow-covered Interstate 80 near Blue Canyon and struck a tree, the California Highway Patrol says.

The victim, Jack Conner, died at the scene, a CHP news release states.

Paramedics used a hydraulic prying device to extricate the driver, 62-year-old Jess Valencia of Orangevale, from the 2003 Toyota Tacoma pickup. He was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with minor to moderate injuries, the release states.

Valencia was driving west on Interstate 80 about 11 a.m. when he apparently lost control, the release states. The pickup spun, sliding off the road and down an embankment before striking the tree.

Valencia and Conner wore seatbelts, but the pickup's airbags did not deploy, the release states.

The CHP's preliminary investigation indicates excessive speed on a steep and snow-covered downhill grade caused the accident, the release states. Neither drugs nor alcohol are believed to have been factors.

After the collision, CHP's Gold Run area Commander John Arrabit reminded drivers to exercise caution while driving in inclement weather. Among his tips: Drive slower, leave more distance between you and the car you're following, allow extra travel time, and check your antifreze and windshield wiper blades before traveling in snow.

From Kim Minugh

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the woman who was struck and killed on the Capital City Freeway last month as 36-year-old Maricela Aldana-Babreras of Sacramento.

Early Nov. 7, Aldana-Babreras was a passenger in a pickup truck driven by a friend when the truck lost part of its load, which had not been properly secured, according to the California Highway Patrol. The driver pulled over, and Aldana-Babreras tried to retrieve a box from a lane when she was struck by multiple cars, the CHP said.

CHP spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton told The Bee that the box was carrying sweatshirts that Aldana-Babreras and her friend might have been on their way to sell at a flea market.

It took several weeks for the coroner's office to positively identify her because they had trouble finding "biometric" evidence - such as dental records or fingerprints - to confirm her identify, said Assistant Coroner Kim Burson.

Burson said Aldana-Babreras does have family in the Sacramento area, but The Bee was unable to locate them.

From Bill Lindelof:

Investigators say excessive speed might have caused a motorcycle crash Tuesday night in Folsom that killed a 24-year-old Orangevale man.

Sacramento County coroner's deputies today identified the victim as Lawrence Joseph Schumacher.

Folsom polce say their investigation so far shows Schumacher might have been speeding on his black 2003 Kawasaki Super Sport RS motorcycle along Glenn Drive west of Sibley Street when the bike left the road and struck a tree.

A motorist came upon the accident at 7:08 p.m., called 911 and performed CPR until emergency personnel arrived, Folsom police Sgt. Rick Hillman said, but despite those efforts, Schumacher died at the scene.

Police don't know of any witnesses to the accident and are asking anyone with information to call the investigators at (916) 351-3553.

From Bill Lindelof:

The Yolo County Coroner's Office has identified a Dixon man as the motorist killed Monday on Interstate 80 in Davis.

Lawrence James Heynen, 46, was driving west on I-80 near Mace Boulevard about 8:20 a.m. when his car went off the road and struck a tree. Heynen died at the scene.

It is unclear why Heynen's vehicle left the roadway, CHP Officer Ken Walter said, and no witnesses reported that he was cut off by another vehicle.

From Hudson Sangree

The 10-year-old girl killed in crash near Woodland Monday afternoon was not wearing a seat belt, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday.

A 4-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy was also were not in a car seat or wearing seatbelts in the one-vehicle rollover, the CHP said in a news release. The 4-year-old suffered major injuries and the 1-year-old was critically injured, the CHP said.

However, the two adults in the car were wearing seatbelts, the CHP said. Both adults suffered major injuries.

The crash sent the three children flying from the compact car as the driver lost control at high speed, said California Highway Patrol Officer Ken Walter.

Excessive speed and driving under the influence were under investigation as possible causes, the statement said.

The CHP identified the driver as Arnold Barraza, 25, of Woodland and a female passenger as Cirena Martinez, 28, both of Woodland.

Authorities did not name the children pending notification of other family members.

Relatives at the hospital Monday night described Barraza and Martinez as boyfriend and girlfriend, each with their own children.

The black 2009 Mazda 3 sedan was traveling at approximately 85 mph on County Road 22 - a rural stretch of Woodland's East Main Street that parallels Interstate 5 - when the driver lost control for unknown reasons about 1:20 p.m., Walter said.

Two helicopters airlifted the other victims to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, authorities said.

The car's mangled wreckage came to rest in a ditch in tall grass beside the roadway and railroad tracks.

At the medical center about a dozen relatives, most with tears in their eyes, kept vigil and visited the victims in the intensive care unit.

Destiny Bruno, 25, said she was a cousin of some of the victims.

She said the Barraza and Martinez were boyfriend and girlfriend.

The two older children, including the girl who died, were the woman's, and the baby was the boyfriend's child, Bruno said.

Barazza and Martinez had driven to Tulare to pick up the Barazza's child for Thanksgiving, she said.

She described the girl who died in the crash as "our tomboy that we loved" and said she was protective of her younger sister and cousins.

Aireana Vidales, a 14-year-old cousin, said she grew up with the 10-year-old girl and lived with her much of the time.

The girl went to church in Woodland and "loved God," she said.

Vidales said they would make "wacky" movies together - laughing, dancing and having tickle fights for the camera.

"She was fun, loving and energetic," Vidales said.

From Robert Davila:

No autopsy is planned for a 19-year-old man who died early Sunday after his car hit several trees at Shana Way and Whitelock Parkway in a residential area of south Elk Grove, the Sacramento County Coroner's Office said today.

The driver was identified as Braeshaun Marcel Whaley. No other occupants were in the car.

Officers who responded to a call at 1:32 a.m. Sunday found the driver semi-conscious and pinned inside the Chrysler PT Cruiser, a news release from the Elk Grove Police Department states. The victim was extricated and taken to an area hospital but died at 5:42 a.m. Sunday, police said.

The crash remains under investigation today, Elk Grove police Officer Chris Trim said. A coroner's office employee said no autopsy was planned and the cause of death would be determined by a private physician.

From Darrell Smith

A 36-year-old woman was struck and killed on the Capital City Freeway early Saturday as she tried to retrieve boxes that had spilled from the pickup truck in which she was riding, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The woman, who has not been identified, was a passenger in the truck traveling north near Watt Avenue about 7:18 a.m. After the truck lost part of its improperly secured load, the driver stopped at the side of the road and the woman walked into the slow No. 3 lane to pick up the boxes, said CHP Officer Lizz Dutton.

She was struck by a Mitsubishi Eclipse and thrown into another lane of traffic, where she was again struck by several vehicles, Dutton said.

The incident forced a portion of the roadway to be closed for approximately two hours.

The driver of the Eclipse was not injured, Dutton said.

Bee Staff

A motorcycle driver has died from injuries he suffered in a Sept. 25 accident on Business Interstate 80, the California Highway Patrol said today.

Christopher Wells, 54, of Sacramento died Wednesday, the CHP said in a news release.

Wells was riding his black Harley Davidson Road King on I-80 from Fulton Avenue at approximately 60 mph, the release states. Wells had just entered the freeway from Fulton Avenue and began to change lanes when another vehicle changing lanes caused him to abruptly apply his cycle's brakes, lose control and crash.

Wells was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, the CHP said.

From Ed Fletcher and Kim Minugh:

Authorities believe alcohol and drugs may have contributed to a fatal crash Friday that left three women dead.

Just before 2 p.m., a woman driving a Honda CR-V westbound on Interstate 80 near Antelope Road glanced in her rearview mirror and noticed a car swiftly approaching.

The woman was unsuccessful in attempting to speed up to avoid the fast approaching 1987 Honda Accord, and the Accord clipped the left rear of her CR-V, according to the California Highway Patrol.

That sent the Accord careening from the outermost lane to the innermost lane and back before it left the roadway and struck a tree. Michael Neal, 51, of Sacramento was driving the Accord, CHP officials said.

Two female passengers in the back seat of the Accord were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names have not been released. A woman in the Accord passenger seat was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center, where she later died, Sacramento County coroner's officials report.

Neal is suspected of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license, said Officer Lizz Dutton, CHP spokeswoman. He was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with broken ribs and pelvic injuries, she said.

The CR-V's two occupants did not suffer any visible injuries but complained of pain, she said. All six people involved in the collision were wearing seat belts, Dutton said.

From Kim Minugh

A Sacramento County sheriff's deputy suffered minor injuries this morning after rolling his patrol car in the south area, according to authorities.

The deputy, a 10-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, suffered a cut after hitting his head in the accident and was transported to a local hospital, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.

Shortly after 10 a.m., the deputy was responding "Code 3" - with lights and sirens activated - to a report of a burglary call in the 8100 block of Devon Park Court when he swerved to avoid a car that was not yielding, Curran said.

The deputy lost control of his patrol car and it rolled in the area of Elk Grove Florin Road and Tiogawoods Drive, Curran said. No other cars were involved.

The car the deputy was trying to avoid was described as a blue Toyota Prius. The driver apparently stopped after the accident, but at some point left the scene, said Officer Michael Bradley of the California Highway Patrol, which is investigating the accident.

Bradley said detectives would like to speak with that driver as part of their investigation.

State law requires that drivers yield to emergency vehicles that have lights and sirens activated. Drivers are expected to move to the right curb, clear of any intersection, and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed, according to the Vehicle Code.

Anyone with information about the accident or the identity of the Prius' driver is asked to call the CHP at (916) 681-2300 or (916) 861-1300.

An 18-year-old El Dorado man died from injuries Tuesday after his car left Highway 49 and struck a tree.

The California Highway Patrol reported today that Michael Hicks was traveling south on Highway 49 just north of Mica Street toward Plymouth when his car crossed over the northbound lane on a slight curve and struck a large oak tree head-on.

There were no witnesses to the accident, which happened at 12:30 a.m Tuesday. Hicks was airlifted to Mercy San Juan Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:20 a.m., the CHP said.

From Bill Lindelof:

Roseville police are investigating the death of a driver whose vehicle struck a tree this morning on Harding Boulevard.

The woman, who was not identified, died at the scene of the accident that occurred about 5 a.m. on Harding near Douglas boulevards.

Harding Boulevard was closed between Douglas Boulevard and Estates Drive for several hours as police investigated the accident, said police department spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther. She said the road was reopened at about 1:30 p.m.

From Bill Lindelof:

Roseville police have released the name of the man who died in a traffic accident Sunday on Foothills Boulevard.

Police said Gary Tom Trevorrow, 55, of Roseville, was driving southbound on Fooothills Boulevard at Switchman Drive about 5 p.m. when he turned left into the path of a pickup. The driver of the pickup struck Trevorrow's car broadside.

Trevorrow, who police said was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene. The pickup driver was treated for minor injuries.

The northbound lanes of Foothills Boulevard were closed for about five hours for investigation of the accident.

From Kim Minugh:

A 54-year-old man was hospitalized after suffering major head trauma when he crashed his motorcycle on the Capital City Freeway on Friday morning, the California Highway Patrol said.

Christopher Wells had just entered the eastbound freeway from Fulton Avenue and was traveling about 60 mph when a car abruptly changed lanes in front of him, a CHP news release states. Wells braked, lost control of his motorcycle and was thrown from the vehicle, the release states.

Wells, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center with major injuries, the CHP states.

The CHP's investigation continues.

From Bill Lindelof:

A woman who was severely injured when her pickup collided with a garbage truck on Bradshaw Road this morning failed to heed a stop sign and rolled into the path of the oncoming vehicle, authorities say.

California Highway Patrol officers said witnesses told them a woman did not stop when approaching Bradshaw Road from Aldercreek Way at 6:05 a.m.

The 51-year-old woman from south Sacramento, who has not been identified, was eastbound on Aldercreek Way, when she failed to stop at a temporary construction area stop sign at Bradshaw near Gerber Road, the CHP said.

The driver pulled onto Bradshaw and her pickup was hit by a garbage truck driven by Roberto Mora, an employee for California Waste Recovery Systems. Mora was southbound on Bradshaw at about 40 mph.

Officers said Mora saw the woman's pickup but was unable to stop in time. The collision caused the garbage truck to roll over.

The woman suffered major injuries and was taken to Kaiser Permanente South hospital. Her condition has not been released.

Mora suffered moderate lacerations to his head and was treated at the hospital.

Traffic was closed in both directions on Bradshaw Road for about three hours.

From Bill Lindelof:

Five teenage students were transported to the hospital complaining of pain after an SUV collided with a city bus in Elk Grove this morning, authorities say.

The accident involving an e-tran bus and the SUV on Laguna Boulevard just east of Laguna Park Drive occurred shortly after 7 a.m. Elk Grove police spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said the SUV rear-ended the bus. Of the 30 people on the bus, eight were hurt. Three of the students complaining of pain went home with their parents.

Shortly after that, a car hit the SUV. Nobody was injured in that collision.

"The injuries were mainly complaint of pain," Trim said. "Nothing life-threatening. People were transported to area hospitals for evaluation."

The collision is under investigation.

From Li Lou:

A vehicle struck and killed a 56-year-old man walking along Stockton Boulevard early this morning.

The name of the victim is being withheld until his family can be notified, the California Highway Patrol said.

He was struck about 12:30 a.m. by a black Toyota Forerunner driven by Kae Saephan, 19.

Saephan was driving north on Stockton Boulevard in south Sacramento and was approaching the intersection of Fleming Drive when he hit the victim, who was in the traffic lane, a CHP news release states.

The victim died at the scene.

Saephan was interviewed by authorities and found not to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the release states.

The CHP is asking witnesses to call (916) 681-2300 or (916) 861-1300 if they have information about the fatality.

From Li Lou:

Traffic fatalities and drunk driving arrests fell over the Labor Day weekend compared to the previous year, the California Highway Patrol said.

Statewide, 12 motorists were killed in collisions between 6 p.m. Friday and midnight Monday, a 70 percent fall from the 40 fatalities during the same period in 2008.

Among this year's fatalities, nine victims were not wearing seat belts, officials say.

"Wearing a seat belt needs to become a habit for drivers and passengers alike," CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a statement. "Buckle up every trip, every time. It may save your life or the life of someone you love."

DUI arrests during the Labor Day weekend also decreased to 1,417 this year from 2008's 1,586, an 11 percent reduction.

"Making an arrest is far easier than having to make a notification to the family member of someone whose life was cut short by a drunk or drugged driver," said Commissioner Farrow. "For every impaired motorist an officer removes from the roadway, it's potentially a life saved."

The holiday weekend was a Maximum Enforcement Period of CHP, which meant every available CHP officer was on duty. The CHP will participate in three more MEPs this year: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's weekend.

A 49-year-old woman died this afternoon after being struck by a Greyhound bus pulling out of the downtown station, Sacramento police say.

Authorities say the collision appears to be an accident and the bus driver has not been arrested.

As officers continue their investigation, they have closed L Street in front of the bus station, between 7th and 8th streets, said police spokeswoman Officer Laura Peck. Westbound L Street traffic is being diverted northbound on 8th Street, and northbound traffic on 8th Street south of Capitol Avenue is being diverted onto Capitol, Peck said.

L Street remains open west of 7th Street.

The Greyhound station is receiving buses, but the road closure is preventing buses from leaving, said Sgt. Norm Leong, another police spokesman.

The closures are expected to remain in effect another one to two hours, Leong said.

Peck said the woman, who has not been identified, was crossing L Street mid-block, not within a cross walk. As the bus driver pulled onto L Street, his view of the pedestrian was blocked by another car, the driver and witnesses told police.

As that car moved, the bus struck the pedestrian. She was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, where she died shortly after 1:15 p.m.

There is no evidence that alcohol or drugs played a role in the collision, nor is there evidence of any wrongdoing by the driver, Peck said.

At this point, it appears to be "a tragic accident," she said.

Bee Staff

Woodland police are looking for witnesses to a vehicle-pedestrian accident that happened late Friday night around East Street and Lemen Avenue.

The pedestrian suffered an apparent head injury, according to a news release. The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and was calling 911 to report the accident when officers arrived.

The injured man was taken to UC Davis Medical Center. His identity and the extent of his injuries were not available, the release states.

The driver of the vehicle, a 28-year-old Woodland resident, was questioned and released.

If anyone was a witness to this collision, or has any information about this event, contact the Woodland Police Department at (530) 661-17800, or dispatch at (530) 666-2411.

From Chelsea Phua

A 31-year-old Sacramento woman died in a traffic collision Thursday evening that police say they believe was caused by reckless driving.

Authorities say they are also looking for the driver of a red pick-up truck who was involved in the crash and may know the victim, who was identified as Renee A. Hines.

Sacramento police investigators said they believe that Hines, who was driving a white van, and the pick-up truck were driving recklessly and "at speeds unsafe for traffic conditions" on westbound Fruitridge Road shortly before 5:10 p.m.

As they approached 62nd Street, the white van collided with a car that was stopped at the red light at the intersection, police said.

The collision caused Hines to lose control and flip over. She was partially ejected from the van and suffered major injuries. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene, authorities said.

Investigators said the van had been reported stolen out of Sacramento and at the time of the collision, Hines was driving on a suspended license and had an active misdemeanor no-bail warrant.

Police are urging the driver of the red pick-up truck to come forward to help find out what led to the crash.

Anyone with information is asked to call (916) 808-3776. Callers can remain anonymous.

From Kim Minugh

Two good Samaritans saved a man from a burning car in Davis this morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Ernesto Guzman, 39, was driving westbound on Interstate 80 east of Olive Drive when witnesses called the CHP to report seeing his car weaving and then spin out - erratic driving that apparently stemmed from a medical condition, according to a CHP news release.

Guzman got back on the Interstate and was exiting at Richards Boulevard when his car again veered off the road and into a tree, the release states. His car burst into flames.

Two passing drivers stopped at the scene and pulled Guzman out of the burning car, according to the CHP. They assisted him until paramedics arrived.

Guzman was transported to UC Davis Medical Center with only minor injuries.

The CHP reported that Guzman was experiencing medical problems, which contributed to the crash.

From Kim Minugh:

The man killed in an early-morning trattic accident in south Sacramento has been identified as Dan Trung Thai, 45.

Thai died in the collision of his vehicle and a big rig at the intersection of Elder Creek and Florin roads, Sacramento police say.

The collision occurred about 2:30 a.m. when Thai, driving a sports utility vehicle west on Elder Creek, struck the rear of a tractor-trailer heading south on Florin Perkins, a police report shows.

Thai might have failed to stop at a stop sign before the collision, the report states. He died at the scene.

From Bill Lindelof:

Investigators say they believe speed was a factor in the car crash that killed a teenage Elk Grove girl on Howe Avenue on Sunday.

Sacramento police say witnesses told them the car made a lane change shortly before the driver lost control.

Corryne M. Quinn, 16, died in the crash that was reported about 10 p.m. Sunday at Howe Avenue and Swathmore Drive near the American River.

Sacramento police said the car in which Quinn was a passenger was northbound on Howe Avenue approaching Swathmore when the driver lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree in the center median.

The name and condition of the injured driver was not immediately available, a police spokesman said.

Police ask any witnesses to call (916) 264-5471.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Roseville man has been scheduled for sentencing after pleading guilty to several charges, including driving under the influence and manslaughter in connection with the drunken driving death of a passenger in his vehicle last year.

Brandon Moreno, 20, entered his plea Wednesday in Placer County Superior Court. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 17.

Moreno drove a vehicle carrying three passengers that ran off Foothills Boulevard in Roseville and struck a tree in the early-morning hours of Dec. 20, 2008. Passenger Brandon Keith, 20, of Roseville was killed and another passenger, Joseph Castillon, was injured.

Moreno's possible sentence could range from probation to a maximum of seven years in state prison.

From Bill Lindelof:

A pickup slammed into a tree north of Chico, killing the passenger and resulting in the arrest of the driver for suspicion of drunken driving, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The CHP said that Mathew Smith, 26, of Chico was speeding west on Humboldt Road east of Bissell Court about 8:30 p.m. Saturday when his pickup drifted off the roadway and hit a large pine tree. The impact ripped open the pickup's right side, badly injuring passenger Mathew Hays, 27, of Chico.

Hays was ejected from the truck, and efforts by emergency workers to save him were not successful. The CHP reported that Smith was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter.

From Kim Minugh:

A man accused of killing a 38-year-old Fair Oaks woman while driving drunk committed suicide this week, according to authorities.

Christopher Sandbach was found dead in his Orangevale apartment by his wife on Tuesday night, said Sacramento County sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran. His death was determined to be the result of a suicide, Curran said.

Sandbach was scheduled to be in court Monday. He faced charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence in connection with the Feb. 16 death of Angelique Mayo.

The mother of five was pulling out of her apartment complex on Madison Avenue that rainy night when her car was struck a 2001 Ford F-350 pickup driven by 45-year-old Sandbach, the California Highway Patrol reported at the time.

Mayo was pronounced dead at the scene.

The CHP said Sandbach lost control of his truck in the heavy rain before his car struck Mayo's.

One lane of Fair Oaks Boulevard near Wilhaggin Drive is blocked because of a three-car traffic accident in which one of the drivers was texting before the collision.

A traffic management Web site reports that the driver of a pickup was texting and rear-ended a car, which then hit another vehicle. Nobody was injured in the accident reported to the California Highway Patrol at 6:55 a.m.

As of Jan. 1, it was against state law to text while driving.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Nevada man died from injuries suffered when his pickup truck rear-ended a big rig near Newcastle and then hit the center divider.

Jeffrey Koorenny, 48, of Winnemucca, was driving east on Interstate 80 about 11:30 p.m. Sunday when he failed to slow and his pickup struck the rear of a big rig's trailer, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The pickup then crossed the eastbound lanes and bounced off the concrete freeway divider before crossing the eastbound lanes again and running off the road.

Koorenny died at the scene.

Bee Staff

Two pedestrians, including a 2-year-old girl, suffered major injuries when they were struck while crossing a street on Wednesday, according to a Roseville Police Department news release.

At approximately 12:17 p.m., a 59-year-old male pedestrian was crossing Harding Boulevard just north of Estates Drive carrying his 2-year-old granddaughter when they were struck by southbound 2003 Lincoln sedan, the release states.

The driver, a 65-year-old woman from Granite Bay, was not injured and stopped immediately after the collision, the release states.

The girl was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center and then been transferred to UC Davis Medical Center where she is in critical condition, said Dee Dee Gunther, Roseville police spokeswoman.

The grandfather is still at Sutter Roseville Medical Center and is listed in fair condition, she said.

From Bill Lindelof:

A man Citrus Heights police say stole a pickup truck and then crashed it on Antelope Road this morning has died.

The man, who authorities have not yet identified, is suspected of stealing a the pickup about 6:30 a.m. from a Citrus Heights resident who said he left the vehicle running in front of his home before going to work.

About 10 minutes later, officers spotted the truck traveling near Antelope Road and Garden Gate Drive. The driver tried to elude authorities, who pursued until the pickup sideswiped another car and rolled near the intersection of Antelope Road and Don Julio Boulevard, police said.

The suspect suffered serious injuries and was taken to Mercy San Juan Hospital, where he died.

From Kim Minugh:

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified a couple who died after a head-on collision in Rancho Cordova on Saturday.

They are 83-year-old Thomas Thurlow and 82-year-old Winifred Thurlow, according to the Coroner's Office. The couple resided in Elk Grove.

The California Highway Patrol reported that a mechanical failure might have caused a 17-year-old driver traveling northbound on South Watt Avenue to veer into a Honda Civic traveling the opposite direction. Neither drugs nor alcohol were suspected factors in the collision, the CHP said.

Winifred Thurlow was pronounced dead at the UC Davis Medical Center. Her husband died during surgery.

The 17-year-old driver was treated for a broken arm and leg, the CHP reported.

From Bill Lindelof

A Canadian truck driver faces up to a year in Placer County jail after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of manslaughter without gross negligence.

Lakhwinder Sidhu of Ontario, Canada, entered his plea in the death of Miguel Ramos, 42, of Bakersfield, who died April 11, 2008 on eastbound Interstate 80 near the Newcastle exit. Ramos had pulled off the roadway because of vehicle trouble when Sidhu's big rig drifted to the shoulder and struck him.

Sidhu faces a sentence that could range from probation to one year in jail. He is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 6, according to a district attorney's office press release.

From Bill Lindelof:

A man suspected of killing a bicyclist with his pickup Sunday afternoon in Marysville was arrested after fleeing the accident scene and trying to elude authorities.

Killed was Lucinda Gillis, 32, who was struck after a truck allegedly driven by Andrew Cornett ran a red light. Gillis died at Rideout Hospital.

California Highway Patrol officers said that Cornett, 24, was driving southbound on North Beale Road about 3:30 p.m. when he ran a red light at Feather River Boulevard and struck Gillis as she was about to finish crossing the street.

Officers said Cornett fled in his truck but abandoned his vehicle not far from the crash site. Officers surrounded Cornett's home, a CHP report states, and arrested the suspect after he ran to a neighbor's shed.

Cornett was booked into Yuba County Jail on multiple charges, including suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter.

From Cathy Locke:

The identity of a woman who died Thursday when she struck by a car on Roseville Road was still being withheld this morning, pending notification of her family.

A Sacramento County Coroner's Office spokeswoman said the victim was 26 years old and a Sacramento resident. Officials were trying to contact her parents.

The woman was struck by a westbound car about 2 p.m. Thursday. Sacramento Police Department investigators said at the time that they believed the woman walked into the path of the car.

From Bill Lindelof:

A woman died Thursday when struck by a car while walking westbound in the 3900 block of Roseville Road, according to the Sacramento Police Department.

At about 2 p.m., a westbound car hit the woman, who was not identified pending notification of family. Sacramento police investigators believe that the woman walked into the path of the car.

The accident occurred within Sacramento city limits.

Officers do not believe that speed or alcohol was involved in the fatality.

From Bill Lindelof:

California Highway Patrol officers said that one person in a stolen car was killed this morning in a high-speed head-on collision.

The 18-year-old Marysville resident driving the stolen car was speeding east on Hammonton Smartville Road in Yuba County when he collided with a car speeding the opposite direction about 5 a.m.

The teen's speed caused him to lose control in curve, and he crossed the center line and slammed into the other vehicle, the CHP reported.

The collision killed the teen and sent the driver of the other vehicle, Yia Thao, 30, of Yuba City, to Rideout Hospital with minor injuries.

An investigation revealed that the car being driven by the teen was stolen from the Olivehurst area, officers said.

From Bee staff:

The California Highway Patrol said Sunday it incorrectly identified drivers of two cars that crashed Friday night on Interstate 5 near Twin Cities Road, killing both motorists.

According to the CHP, a red Toyota Camry was southbound on I-5 at 10:15 p.m. when it crossed a divider and struck a white Honda Accord that was going north on the freeway.

On Sunday, the CHP identified the driver of the Honda as Albert Hu, 38, of Stockton. The driver of the Toyota was Juan Carlos Reyes-Torres, 30, of Olivehurst, the CHP said.

Both were killed in the collision.

In its reports to area media Saturday, the CHP had mistakenly identified Hu as the driver of the car that ran into him.

From Bill Lindelof:

A woman who was tossed over a freeway sound barrier and into a tree during a high-speed rollover accident was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, the California Highway Patrol said today.

The crash occurred Wednesday on Highway 99 near Mack Road south of Sacramento.

The woman, a passenger in the car, was identified as Sarah Judith Williams, 18, of Sacramento. Williams, reported to be in fair condition today, was taken to UC Davis Medical Center with possible fracture to her right ankle, abrasions to her face and a deep laceration on her back, a CHP spokesman said.

"The tree limbs cut her up," said Officer Michael Bradley, a CHP spokesman.

The driver of the car, Raymond Walker Jr., suffered minor abrasions to both hands and his face, possibly caused by activation of the vehicle's air bag.

"The preliminary investigation is that he made an unsafe turning movement," said Bradley, a maneuver that apparently led to the rollover.

Bradley said the CHP continues to investigate witness statements. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor.

The accident threw Williams over a 12-foot sound wall and into a nearby back yard.

When Sacramento firefighters arrived they found the badly damaged car but no victims in or near it, fire officials said.

Meanwhile, firefighters received another medical aid call from a home in the nearby 7300 block of Berna Way, just beyond the sound wall. There they found a woman in a tree and a man nearby, fire officials said.

Williams had been thrown from the car and into the tree, which cushioned her fall and saved her life, a fire spokesman said.

The man left the accident scene and crawled over to the woman, fire officials said.

From Chelesea Phua:

The Colusa County District Attorney filed 11 counts of vehicular manslaughter and two count of traffic infractions Tuesday against the driver involved in a bus crash that killed 11 people in October.

Authorities said driver Quintin Watts, 52, of Stockton, was falling asleep at the wheels moments before the bus veered off a narrow rural road near Williams on Oct. 5. The bus was carrying 41 passengers, most of the elderly Hmong residents from the Sacramento area, who were on their way to Colusa Casino Resort.

Among the dead was bus company owner Daniel Cobb, 68. More than 30 people were injured.

Bee Staff

A Citrus Heights man has died of injuries received in a motorcycle crash in Roseville, according to the Roseville Police Department.

Allan Dahlquist, 64, of Citrus Heights died May 5 at Sutter Roseville Medical Center as a result of injuries suffered in the April 26 collision, the news release states.

The release gives this account of the accident:

At approximately 4:30 p.m. on April 26, Dahlquist was riding his 2005 Harley Davidson motorcycle north on Riverside Avenue near the Interstate 80 interchange, and rear-ended a Toyota Highlander that was stopped at a red light.

Dahlquist was thrown from his motorcycle and suffered head injuries. He was transported by ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center.

Traffic investigators do not believe that alcohol, drugs or excessive speed were factors in the collision, the release states. Dahlquist was wearing a helmet.

The accident is under investigation, the release states.

Bee Staff

Preliminary numbers show another rise last year for fatal motorcycle accidents, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The umbers from 2008 indicate more than 500 motorcyclists were killed in collisions statewide, the CHP news release states. Rider fatalities are consistently on the rise with each passing year.

"The unfortunate thing is most of these collisions could be easily avoided simply by increasing awareness," said Caltrans Director Will Kempton. "With a little extra vigilance, I believe we can dramatically reduce the number of lives lost in motorcycle crashes."

In 2007, there were 465 fatal motorcycle crashes; there were 433 in 2006; 404 in 2005 and 350 in 2004, according to CHP records.

The same qualities that make California so attractive for residents and tourists alike -- warm weather, plenty of sun and beautiful scenery - also make it an especially popular state for motorcyclists, the release states.

"Year after year, the No. 1 identifiable primary collision factor for motorcycle-involved collisions is unsafe speed," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow, who's also a former police traffic safety motor officer.

"It's important for motorcyclists to minimize their risks by

riding responsibly, always wearing a helmet and other protective gear

and never riding after consuming alcohol."

The CHP strongly encourages all riders to sign up for the California

Motorcyclist Safety Program before beginning to ride. CMSP

offers the Basic RiderCourse for beginners and Advanced RiderCourses for

riders who are interested in sharpening their skills, the release states.

To enroll in a CMSP course at any of the 124 training sites throughout

California call (877) RIDE-411. The CMSP Basic Course will be no more than $250 for

riders who are 21 years old and older and for those under age 21, who are required by

law to take the course, it is $150. Additional information may be

obtained at the CMSP website www.ca-msp.org.

From Chelsea Phua

A Sacramento Police Department gang unit sergeant was hurt in a crash in south Sacramento Friday night, police said.

He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said. A passenger with the sergeant was not injured.

The sergeant was exiting northbound Interstate 5 on Florin Road just before midnight when the accident happened.

A Honda Accord, driven by a man in his 20s, was westbound on Florin Road and about to take the ramp onto northbound Interstate 5 when for unknown reasons, the driver lost control and crashed in the unmarked patrol car, Leong said.

The driver was not taken to the hospital.

No alcohol was involved, Leong said.

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From Niesha Lofing:

Roseville police are investigating a collision that badly injured a Citrus Heights motorcyclist.

Police were called at 4:37 p.m. Sunday to an injury crash on northbound Riverside Avenue at the Interstate 80 interchange, police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said.

The motorcyclist rear-ended a Toyota Highlander that was stopped at a red light. The 63-year-old rider, whose identification has not been released, was thrown from his Harley Davidson Electra Glide and suffered head injuries. The motorcycle received minor damage.

The rider was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition.

The rider was wearing a helmet, but police say they do not know if it met federal safety standards.

The two people in the Toyota were unhurt, Gunther said.

The department's Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating the collision.

From Chelsea Phua:

A 40-year-old Sacramento woman died Tuesday from injuries she sustained in a four-vehicle accident that happened over the weekend in Rancho Cordova, authorities said on Wednesday.

The accident occurred at about 1:25 p.m. on Saturday at Coloma Road and Aramon Drive.

Investigators from the Rancho Cordova police department, which contracts with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department for police services, said they believe that a blue 1996 Ford Ranger, driven by a 16-year-old boy, was westbound on Coloma Road when the driver applied his brakes for unknown reasons and entered into a skid.

A gray 1998 Honda Prelude was behind the Ranger and collided with it. Both vehicles slid into oncoming traffic on Coloma Road.

The Ranger collided with a white 2004 Ford Escape and a white 2004 International tow truck. The Escape was driven by a 60-year-old woman who had a 40-year-old passenger, her daughter.

The mother and daughter were taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center, where the daughter later succumbed to her injuries, investigators said.

The driver of the Ranger was taken to UC Davis Medical Center. Drivers of the other two vehicles were not injured.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call RCPD Traffic Unit Detective Ron Brazell at 916-875-9623.

From Kim Minugh:

A 44-year-old Sacramento woman died Monday night after she allowed her car to cross into oncoming traffic and collide with another vehicle, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

Alcohol is suspected to be a factor in Michelle Dlallo's driving, CHP spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton wrote in the release.

A 46-year-old woman in the other vehicle was transported to Mercy San Juan Medical Hospital after she complained of pain to her chest, the release stated.

According to the CHP, Dlallo was driving eastbound on Madison Avenue, east of San Juan Avenue, when she allowed her 1993 Nissan Sentra to cross a raised concrete curb and head toward westbound traffic. Her car hit a 2001 Toyota pickup head-on.

A 2001 Kia Sportage driving behind the pickup also was involved in the collision, but the driver was not transported to the hospital.

Dlallo was transported to Mercy San Juan, where she was pronounced dead.

Pending toxicology reports will determine whether Dlallo was intoxicated, the CHP reported. She was driving with a suspended license, Dutton said. The Kia's driver had an expired license.

All involved were wearing seatbelts.

From Bill Lindelof:

The Orangevale motorcyclist who died Wednesday afternoon on Hazel Avenue after his motorcycle hit a car has been identified as 35-year-old Christian Bidgood.

Bidgood was driving a Kawasaki ZX6R southbound at a high rate of speed near Lake Nimbus Drive about 4:15 p.m., according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

A 68-year-old woman from Fair Oaks was turning left toward Lake Nimbus Drive and into Bidgood's path, the CHP said. Bidgood's motorcyclist hit the right side of her car and was thrown from his bike, the CHP said.

He was taken by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about 45 minutes later.

The woman was knocked unconscious by the impact, and her car rolled down Lake Nimbus Drive for several hundred feet until a passer-by helped stop it, the CHP said.

Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash, the CHP said.

Bee Staff

UC Davis researchers are developing a program to make it easier to identify drug or alcohol impaired drivers who seek medical attention.

The UC Davis Trauma Prevention Program, when fully developed, will provide education on uniform and consistent reporting procedures at all 11 of the most sophisticated trauma centers in inland Northern California, according to a news release from the UC David Health System.

In addition, the UC Davis Medical Center will develop a standardized hospital procedure for obtaining a legal blood-alcohol level and teaching it to the same trauma centers, the release said.

"Our project aims to help increase the number of DUI convictions for drivers involved in alcohol-related collisions," said Christy Adams, program coordinator for the Trauma Prevention Program. "Increased convictions can ultimately lead to fewer alcohol-related crashes in the future."

The California Office of Traffic Safety is providing funding for the new program, the release said.

The new processes will show how to increase the number of legal blood-alcohol evidence samples obtained by health-care staff. In collaboration with California's Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor, staff from the Trauma Prevention Program will instruct emergency and trauma physicians and nurses on how to report alcohol-impaired drivers to law enforcement agencies, the release said.

California had registered increasing numbers of alcohol-involved traffic deaths for several years prior to a 9.5 percent downturn in 2007, the release said. Even with that decline, 1,155 people died in California in 2007 as a result of a driver with a blood-alcohol content over the legal limit of .08, the release said.

"Currently, California's trauma system has no uniform and consistent system for informing law enforcement agencies of impaired drivers involved in motor-vehicle collisions," said Adams. "As it stands, law enforcement officers learn of collisions through 911 dispatches. After arriving on the scene of a collision, officers determine whether a driver is impaired and if a DUI citation is issued."

However, if the severity of a driver's injuries requires immediate transport to a trauma center, officers may not have time to check if the driver is impaired by drugs or alcohol, the release said.

And the delay caused by medical treatment or officers not being able to get away from the accident scene can make it hard to get a legally admissible blood-alcohol sample, the release said.

In minor collisions, impaired drivers may go to an emergency room without having called 911, the release said. In these cases, officers may not be notified of a collision involving an impaired driver.

One of the first steps that the Trauma Prevention Program will take under the new grant is to collect data on impaired drivers from UC Davis Medical Center, the release said. This data will include the blood-alcohol levels that are drawn automatically for all trauma patients.

The UC Davis researchers will work with the California Department of Motor Vehicles to determine what happened to patients who registered a blood-alcohol level greater than .04. The object of this analysis is to seek evidence of repeat instances of impaired driving, the release said.

From Niesha Lofing

A Sacramento sheriff's deputy killed in the line of duty last year will be among award recipients honored by the sheriff today.

Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness will present 41 medals at the 2009 Awards Luncheon, including a Purple Heart for Deputy Larry Canfield (left photo), a sheriff's news release states.

Canfield was killed Nov. 12 when his motorcycle crashed with another vehicle while he was conducting traffic patrols in Rancho Cordova.

Canfield's wife, Michelle Canfield, will accept the award in her husband's honor, the release states.

The Purple Heart is awarded for serious bodily injuries received in the line of duty.

The other awards will include two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars and 36 Life Saving medals.

The department's awards for employees of the year and managers of the year also will be issued.

The awards ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel at 550 Leisure Lane, Sacramento.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested a 20-year-old Sacramento man whose actions delayed a train and closed two major roads.

At 6:13 a.m. Tuesday, Matthew Martin drove his vehicle around several road closure signs at Elk Grove Florin and Campbell roads, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

His vehicle became disabled as it drove over the railroad tracks under construction, police said. A train was delayed and two additional major roads were closed for more than an hour, police said.

Martin was cited for failure to obey road closed signs and barricades.