The driver of a speeding car who died when he flipped his vehicle on Highway 50 early this morning has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Mayur B. Sarhad, 24, of Rancho Cordova.
The car was reported traveling eastbound on Highway 50 just west of Hazel Avenue at a high rate of speed about 1 a.m. when the driver lost control. The Honda Accord rolled over onto its roof and the driver was killed.
One lane of the freeway was blocked for about two hours.
An 81-year-old man who died Thursday afternoon in a collision on Watt Avenue near Pope Avenue in the Arden Arcade area has been identified by the California Highway Patrol as Fred Schwarz of Sacramento.
CHP spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton said Schwarz was driving northbound on Watt in a Mercedes approaching Pope Avenue about 2:55 p.m. As he approached, Schwarz crossed into the No. 1 southbound lane. A driver traveling southbound on Watt reported honking at Schwarz, who appeared to acknowledge him and began to attempt a left turn or U turn.
A 25-year-old woman driving a Volkswagen Touareg SUV southbound in the No. 3, or far right lane, was unable to stop and struck Schwarz's vehicle broadside.
The chain reaction accident this morning on the Yolo Causeway that backed up traffic for at least an hour began when a driver didn't notice in time that vehicles had suddenly slowed, according to the CHP.
The crash involving five vehicles in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 was reported about 6:50 a.m. It all began when a woman driving a Chrysler applied her brakes and swerved to the right when traffic slowed, according to a California Highway Patrol press release.
The front of her car hit the rear and right side of a Honda and the left side of a Toyota Camry. The Honda then spun out of control and into the center median.
The Toyota Camry collided with the right rear of a Toyota Echo. The Chrysler that started the crashes, continued spinning out of control and also hit the Toyota Echo, according to the CHP.
Three drivers were taken to UC Davis Medical Center with minor injuries.
Categories: Sacramento, Sacramento County, Traffic accidents, West Sacramento, Yolo County
The CALSTAR air ambulance company based at McClellan Park in North Highlands has added a large, high-flying patient transport plane to its fleet.
The non-profit air-ambulance provider, which serves patients from Santa Barbara to Mendocino to South Lake Tahoe, has acquired a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, which in its former life was a corporation jet.
The aircraft is powered by two turbine engines, boasts a maximum service altitude of 35,000 feet and can cruise at speeds of more than 345 mph.
By Darrell Smith
Folsom police and paramedics were responding to a call late Monday of bicyclists reportedly struck by a hit-and-run motorist, according to information on the California Highway Patrol's website.
It was immediately unknown how many bicyclists were involved the 9:20 p.m. incident near the Folsom Boulevard offramp on eastbound Highway 50
A 54-year-old man from North San Juan died this afternoon when the vehicle he was driving crashed into a tree along Highway 49 near the Nevada County community of Sweetland.
CHP Officer Justin Barnhouse said the crash was reported shortly before 2:30 p.m. at Pleasant Valley Road and Highway 49 and involved a single vehicle.
The driver, the only occupant, was partially ejected from the vehicle. A motorist who came upon the scene was able to pull the man away from the vehicle before it caught fire.
A young woman who was killed Saturday when the automobile she was driving went off Power Inn Road and crashed into a utility pole has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.
She was identified as Brianna Farrar, 22, of Elk Grove.
The California Highway Patrol reports that Farrar was headed south on Power Inn near Gerber Road at about 4:45 a.m., traveling at about 55-60 mph, when her car left the road for unknown reasons and crashed, said CHP Sgt. Sean Duryee.
Cellphone distraction may have been a factor in the crash, as there was a call taking place on the phone in the woman's car at the time of the accident, Duryee said.
By Matt Weiser
mweiser@sacbee.com
A 26-year-old man killed in a car accident Saturday on Highway 50 has been identified as Devin Alimena, a Mather resident.
The accident happened early Saturday on eastbound Highway 50 near 65th Street. Alimena was the driver of a Jeep Cherokee that drifted into the center divider of the highway, then spun after striking an unoccupied Dodge van that had been left in the center divider.
A Nissan hit the Jeep broadside after attempting to steer around debris in the road. The driver of the Nissan suffered minor injuries.
A 26-year-old man was killed in an odd crash on Highway 50 early today.
The man, a resident of Mather who was not identified, apparently allowed his Jeep Cherokee to drift into the center divide on the eastbound side of the highway near 65th Street in Sacramento.
The Jeep struck the right rear of an unoccupied Dodge van that had been parked in the divide and spun, coming to rest across the lane of traffic.
A 22-year-old woman was killed today when the Saturn automobile she was driving went off Power Inn Road and crashed into a utility pole at high speed, the California Highway Patrol reports.
The woman was headed south on Power Inn near Gerber Road at about 4:45 a.m., traveling at about 55-60 mph, when her car left the road for uncertain reasons and crashed, said CHP Sergeant Sean Duryee.
Cell phone distraction may have been a factor in the crash, as there was a call taking place on the phone in the woman's car at the time of the accident, Duryee said.
A woman struck in an Arden Arcade crosswalk while pushing her bicycle has died.
The California Highway Patrol reported that Diane Bindernagel, 55, of Sacramento was crossing the street at Arden Way and Morse Avenue on April 29 at about 10:30 p.m. A car driving eastbound on Arden Way at about 35 mph struck Bindernagel as she pushing her bike in the marked crosswalk.
A CHP officer reported that the pedestrian symbol was on, making it permissible for Bindernagel to push her bike across the street at the intersection. For an unknown reason, the driver failed to stop for the red light on eastbound Arden Way.
After the collision, the driver continued eastbound on Arden, but later returned to the scene and waited for the CHP. The CHP said the driver is suspected of running the red light and that the accident investigation is on-going.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office reported that Bindernagel was pronounced dead on Saturday.
The number of drivers cited for using their cell phones while driving in April was up over a year earlier.
The California Highway Patrol and 265 local police agencies last month handed out more than 57,000 tickets to drivers who were using a hand-held cell phone or texting. The compares to 52,000 tickets issued in April 2011.
"Unfortunately, we're seeing that the problem of cell phone use for talking and texting while driving is not going away anytime soon," said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the state Office of Traffic Safety.
His office has conducted an advertising campaign that has included the "Don't Be a Distracted Driving Zombie" television commercials that emphasize how up to 37 percent of brain power needed for driving gets switched to cell phone talking.
Categories: Amador County, El Dorado County, Placer County, Sacramento County, Sutter County, Traffic accidents, Yolo County, Yuba County
A free community safety event in Rancho Cordova on Saturday will bring together first responders and others.
The "Proven Insurance Services Community Safety Saturday" occurs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Proven Insurance headquarters, 2721 Citrus Road. Among the activities scheduled at the event sponsored by Capital Insurance Group:
- KlassKids Foundation will provide digital photo ID and fingerprint kits for children.
- The California Highway Patrol will operate a child safety/booster seat inspection station.
- Sacramento Police Department volunteers will provide safety information.
- Sacramento Metro Fire Department will bring along a fire engine.
- The California Department of Boating and Waterways will be encouraging safe boating practices with educational materials and by raffling off 30 life jackets.
- The American Red Cross will provide information on flood and earthquake preparedness and other information.
A raffle will be conducted at the end of the event with prizes such as a solar flashlight, emergency radio and a roadside emergency kit. In addition, four grand prize winners will be chosen to receive a Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch.
California Highway Patrol officers said the same man ran the same stop sign at the same intersection and again ended up in a ditch both times - the copycat crashes coming within a week of each other.
In addition, he was suspected by officers of driving under the influence on each occasion.
On May 2 about 2 a.m., according to a CHP press release, Marc M. Riendeau, 30, of Plumas Lake, was driving a Buick south on Griffith Avenue when he failed to stop at a stop sign at the T intersection of Erle Road. Riendeau continued through the intersection and hit a ditch, overturned and landed in a rice field.
Three people were injured this morning in Lincoln when a driver fell asleep at the wheel and ran into them.
Lincoln police were called to Sun City Boulevard and Tiger Lily Lane about 9 a.m. where they found three injured women in the intersection. The car that hit the three had stopped after the collision, police said.
The women, two of them 61 years old and the third 64 years old, were transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center. Two of the women had moderate injuries and the third minor injuries.
The 71-year-old driver told officers he fell asleep at the wheel just before failing to come to a halt at a stop sign, then hitting the pedestrians, according to Lincoln police. The driver was issued a citation for failure to stop and a request will be sent to the state Department of Motor Vehicles to re-test the motorist's driving ability.
A Redding mother accidentally hit her child in a stroller before then getting pinned against a residence by the same vehicle.
The accident happened about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at an apartment house on Wilson Avenue in Redding where police said that Elia Monjaraz, 26, pulled her vehicle forward, not knowing her 13-month-old child was ahead in a baby stroller.
The child, who suffered a cut on the foot, was spared further injury by the child's father who pulled the toddler away. The mother, alarmed by what happened, ran to the front of the vehicle, only to be pinned against the apartment building by the vehicle that was still in gear, according to a police press release.
Monjaraz suffered injuries to her ribs, arm and skinned legs.
Sacramento detectives are looking for the public's assistance in identifying a vehicle involved in a major-injury hit-and-run incident in March.
In the incident, a pedestrian was crossing the street on March 15 at 20th and K Streets at about 11 p.m. and was struck by a dark, 4-door sedan believed to be a Honda or Jetta, traveling west on K Street.
The vehicle, believed to have a partial license plate of 5VPO, then sped south on 19th Street.
Sacramento police officers conducting a sobriety checkpoint at Broadway and 65th Street Friday night noticed one driver turning and speeding away before reaching the checkpoint.
The driver was found, however, after he hit another vehicle and was followed by the victim to a gas station near 14th Avenue and Stockton Boulevard.
Police responding to that call attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop until hitting a curb at 12th Avenue and 37th Street.
A 32-year-old man remained hospitalized late this afternoon after allegedly attempting to rob a Fair Oaks bank, then crashing as he fled on a moped.
Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said the department received a call at 9:10 a.m. regarding an attempted robbery at a Chase bank branch at 4802 San Juan Ave. A few minutes later, the Citrus Heights Police Department reported that a man on a moped had crashed at Madison Avenue and Lincoln Oaks Drive, and it appeared he might be the suspect in the bank robbery attempt.
Ramos said no weapon was seen and the man left the bank before receiving any money. He said it appeared the man, who suffered cuts in the crash, may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Ramos said the man, whose name has not been released, will be booked after he is medically cleared.
A Lodi fire captain died in a motorcycle crash early this morning in Amador County near the town of Pioneer, according to the fire department.
Joe Hansen, 50, served the Lodi Fire Department for 25 years. The fire department said a passenger motorist found Hansen and notified emergency services.
The California Highway Patrol said that Hansen was westbound on Highway 88 near Foster Meadow Road at an unknown speed. He allowed his motorcycle to go off the north side of the road where it hit a snow marker.
The motorcycle overturned and he was ejected. Hansen died at the scene.
He is survived by his wife, Natalie, and son, Alex.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of our lost colleague," said a press release from the fire department.
A man who died early this morning when his pickup overturned in a field off Highway 99 has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as David Blue, 39, of Wilton.
The accident occurred about 1 a.m. when the pickup traveling southbound on Highway 99 north of Arno Road ran off the side of the roadway, damaging 150 feet of fencing and overturning in a pasture.
The driver was ejected from the vehicle.
The truck hit and injured two cows that had to be euthanized.
A survey of California motorists on "lane splitting" reveals that a small percentage drivers admit to having tried to stop motorcyclists from completing the controversial maneuver.
The California Office of Traffic Safety today released the results of the survey on lane splitting, where motorcycles travel between two lanes with other vehicles traveling in the same direction.
The practice has been a source of controversy and confusion. Some car drivers object to lane-splitting, considering it dangerous, startling and unfair that motorcycles can get ahead in backed-up traffic.
A Rancho Cordova woman has died from injuries suffered in a crash on Highway 99 in South Sacramento on Saturday night.
The California Highway Patrol said that Gloria Woods, 41, was observed driving recklessly on southbound Highway 99 about 8 p.m. She apparently turned around and headed northbound, according to a CHP spokesman.
Once near the Turnbridge Pedestrian Crossing, between Florin Road and 47th Avenue, she lost control of her vehicle at a high rate of speed. Her car hit the center median and then careened across the northbound lanes, where the vehicle hit a guardrail, rolled over and then crashed through the soundwall.
She was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead on Monday.
A 52-year-old Pride Industries transit bus driver was arrested this morning on suspicion of driving under the influence of a prescription drug after the vehicle she was driving ran off the highway in Olivehurst.
Ellen Kay Enright of Olivehurst was northbound on Highway 65 at northbound Highway 70 at 7:45 a.m. transporting a passenger who uses a wheelchair. Because of her alleged altered level of consciousness, Enright allowed the bus to weave back and forth on the roadway, according to a California Highway Patrol news release. The bus left the pavement and struck a roadway sign on the right dirt shoulder, officials said. The vehicle then glanced off a tree and continued short distance before Enright brought it to a stop.
Neither Enright nor her passenger, a 24-year-old woman from Wheatland, was injured.
Riders of two motorcycles died when one bike went out of control and the other took evasive action to avoid collision in Sierra County on Sunday.
The California Highway Patrol said that a motorcyclist from South Lake Tahoe was heading southbound about 3 p.m. Sunday on Highway 49 just north of the Convict Flat Campground between Camptonville and Downieville when he lost control of his vehicle.
The motorcycle slid on its side into the northbound lane at the same time another motorcyclist from Reno was approaching. The Reno motorcyclist, in an attempt to avoid collision, traveled onto the right shoulder and crashed into a guardrail.
Both motorcyclists died at the scene.
By Robert D. Dávila
rdavila@sacbee.com
A 63-year-old man was taken to a hospital Sunday after crashing his car into a power pole and becoming trapped by fallen high-voltage lines on Auburn Boulevard in Citrus Heights.
The collision is under investigation as a possible case of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to a Citrus Heights police statement.
According to police, officers who responded around 4:45 p.m. to a call about a vehicle collision on Auburn Drive near Greenback Lane learned the California High Patrol was helping a disabled motorist. While pushing the car out of the roadway, the driver tried to flee and drove the car into oncoming traffic and across Auburn Boulevard before hitting the power pole, the statement said.
The crash knocked down live power lines that trapped the driver, officials said. A SMUD crew was called to turn off the power to allow Sacramento Metropolitan firefighters to extricate the driver from the car.
Anyone with information about the collision is asked to call the Citrus Heights Police Department at (916) 727-5500 or the Traffic Tip Line at (916) 727-5525.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of the motorcyclist killed Thursday morning on the Capital City Freeway.
He was identified as Brett Dewitt Goodenough, 52, of Elk Grove.
The California Highway Patrol said the Goodnenough was riding eastbound on the freeway near Arden Way about 4:30 a.m. when for an unknown reason he lost control of his bike on wet pavement.
He was ejected from the motorcycle and then hit by a big rig. The big rig driver saw an object in the roadway and applied his brakes but could not stop in time.
Goodenough was pronounced dead at the scene.
The eastbound lanes of the freeway were closed for hours for cleanup of bio-hazards, debris, oil and for accident scene investigation. The freeway fully opened at about 9:50 a.m.
The California Highway Patrol reports all lanes of eastbound Capitol City Freeway near Arden Way are now open.
The freeway in the eastbound direction closed about 4:30 a.m due to a traffic accident that involved the death of a motorcyclist. All lanes re-opened about 10 a.m.
The motorcyclist traveling on wet freeway pavement eastbound near Arden Way fell off his motorcycle for unknown reasons, witnesses told the California Highway Patrol.
Police have released new information about last week's massive manhunt that began in West Sacramento and ended with the fatal shooting of the suspect in Sacramento County.
Among the newly released details is the fact that authorities found out during the course of their search Friday that the suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Jimmy Lee Graves, had stolen a high-powered and "extremely dangerous" rifle from the machine shop where the manhunt began, said Sgt. Nathan Steele, spokesman for the West Sacramento Police Department.
The Remington Model 700 rifle is the same used by most police snipers, Steele said, and has a reach of more than 400 yards. It is a legal weapon often used for hunting.
Categories: Davis, Drugs, Fire, Homicide, Sacramento County, Traffic accidents, Violent Crime, West Sacramento, Yolo County
The California Highway Patrol seeks information regarding a hit-and-run collision that resulted in the death of a bicyclist Friday night in the North Highlands area.
About 10:30 p.m., Randall Ledford, 57, was riding a Huffy Vormax bicycle on Dudley Boulevard near Ae Street in McClellan Industrial Park, when he was hit by a vehicle also traveling in the same direction on Dudley. The vehicle struck the rear wheel of Ledford's bicycle, throwing him to the ground, according to the CHP.
Ledford and his bicycle landed on the side of the roadway, where a passerby spotted him and summoned emergency aid. Ledford suffered fatal injuries in the collision.
A 22-year-old Folsom man who allegedly was driving under the influence of nitrous oxide when he crossed into oncoming traffic in a collision that killed two men was ordered by a judge today to stand trial on two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter.
Michael Dean Sharp's trial in the Jan. 7 deaths of the brothers Christopher Stephen Ohlander Martell, 37, and Robert Todd Ohlander, 32, was set for July 26 by Sacramento Superior Court judge Greta Curtis Fall.
According to testimony at today's preliminary hearing, Sharp had purchased 50 "whip-it" cannisters of nitrous oxide at a Folsom smoke shop, cracked one into a balloon and inhaled it while driving southbound on Folsom Boulevard.
A 16-year-old Olivehurst boy was killed early today when the car in which he was a passenger overturned after going off the road in West Linda, striking a pole and a parked vehicle, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The car's driver, another 16-year-old, from Marysville, was arrested in connection with the crash.
No identities were released because of their ages.
Sacramento police have arrested a man who began firing a rifle after being involved in a head-on collision.
Police were first called to the collision at W. El Camino Avenue and Dorine Way at 2:45 a.m. Saturday.
"That's the way it came in, as a traffic collision," said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department.
Members of fraternities and sororities at UC Davis have signed a pledge this year designed to curb out-of-control drinking on Picnic Day this Saturday.
Among the points in the 10-point covenant signed by 51 of 75 Greek organizations are pledges not to serve alcohol before noon and refraining from drinking games.
"The covenant demonstrates that we are doing our part," said Matt Chemin, president of the Interfraternity Council.
Picnic Day typically draws 75,000 people. The on-campus open house, now in its 98th year, is a wholesome event featuring a parade, music, educational exhibits, animal events and sport.
Categories: DUI, Davis, Sex Crime, Traffic accidents, Violent Crime, Yolo County, Youth crime
An overturned big rig is still backing up traffic on westbound Highway 50 at Howe Avenue.
The big rig driver apparently tipped his rig over when he took the northbound Howe Avenue on-ramp to westbound Highway 50 too fast about at about 5:20 a.m.
Initially, the California Highway Patrol advised that the on-ramp and the right lane of the highway would open by 8 a.m. However, the current estimate is that crews will need until 9:30 a.m. to clear the accident.
No injuries were reported.
Photo caption: The scene Tuesday morning looking east along Highway 50 where a truck carrying cement powder overturned blocking the number one lane during the morning commute. Photo by Randy Pench
An early morning crash on Highway 50 left one man dead near Folsom Boulevard.
The accident occurred about 2 a.m. when a pickup truck that was traveling westbound on Highway 50 overturned, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Three men were in the pickup. Motorcycles were in the bed of the truck.
One of the men, a 32-year-old resident of Washington, died at the scene.
Traffic was clearing near the off ramp to Sacramento International Airport, but travelers were still backed up on Interstate 5.
All vehicles had been moved to the right hand shoulder of the road on northbound I-5 near Airport Boulevard as of 6:30 a.m. However, traffic was slowly passing by the site of the crash 45 minutes later.
The 5 a.m. accident involved about 6 vehicles, including a U-Haul truck. Minor injuries were reported.
By Chris Macias
cmacias@sacbee.com
A Regional Transit train has hit and killed a pedestrian near 19th Street in midtown Sacramento.
Traffic on 19th Street is being diverted between Q and S streets.
Sacramento Police Department spokeswoman Michele Gigante said police are investigating and it is unclear how long 19th Street will be closed.
Witnesses told police a woman was lying across the grade-level tracks when the train hit her, Gigante said. The victim seemed to have been alone, she said.
The accident occurred at 8:38 p.m. on RT's Blue line, which runs from Meadowview to the Watt/I-80 Station.
One onlooker described the bloody scene left after the west-bound train hit the woman, saying it appeared that the victim had been decapitated.
The California Highway Patrol is seeking witnesses to a fatal car crash that killed a man this morning along Interstate 5 in South Sacramento.
The CHP said the crash occurred about 5 a.m. when a 2002 Honda Accord driven by Gerad Samathadara, 20, of Lathrop, San Joaquin County, spun out of control and left northbound I-5 near Gloria Drive. The back portion of the car then hit a tree.
The young man was pronounced dead at the scene. The CHP said Samathadara was wearing a seatbelt and alcohol and drugs do not appear to be a factor in the crash.
This being the week in which dispatchers are recognized for their good work, the California Highway Patrol provides these tips on calling 911:
• No matter what, stay calm.
• Be prepared to give your name, phone number, address or location and a detailed description of the incident.
Categories: Fire, Homicide, Property Crime, Sacramento, Sacramento County, Traffic accidents, Violent Crime
A 3-year-old boy died when he was accidentally run over by his teen brother in the Yuba County town of Linda.
The California Highway Patrol said that at about 3 p.m. Monday the little boy was playing in the parking lot in front of his residence in the 6000 block of Alpine Way. His 19-year-old brother was stopped in his pickup and speaking with their mother who was outside the vehicle.
When the older sibling ended his conversation with his mother, the teen pulled his pickup forward to leave the parking lot.
At that point, the driver could feel "an impact at the rear of his vehicle," according to a CHP report. The 3-year-old, who was transported to Rideout Memorial Hospital, died of his injuries.
Three people, including two students, were treated for complaints of pain following a collision between a school bus and a passenger vehicle near William Land Park this afternoon.
California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said a Sacramento City Unified School District bus with six special needs students on board was southbound on Freeport Boulevard about 3:40 p.m. A Honda Accord was traveling north on Freeport and turned left to enter the park, turning into the path of the school bus.
Bradley said the bus driver wasn't able to take evasive action and the bus hit the rear of the Accord. He said the traffic light was green for both northbound and southbound vehicles.
A Sacramento man was killed last night when struck by a light rail train near the Rosemont neighborhood.
David Wayne Johnson, 51, was pronounced dead at 10:06 p.m., according to the Sacramento County Coroner's office.
Johnson was hit by the westbound train where the tracks parallel Folsom Boulevard near La Riviera Drive. A California Highway Patrol officer said that shortly before 10 p.m. Johnson was walking in the center of the railroad tracks when the train approached.
The CHP said the light rail train operator sounded his horn and braked to no avail.
Redding police said they believe that a man was under the influence of a drug when he jumped in front of a bus and then a minivan.
The man, Jamal Essayah, 24, identified as a transient, was hit by the two vehicles about 3:45 p.m. Thursday on the Cypress Street Bridge over the Sacramento River.
He first jumped in front of an eastbound Redding Area Bus Authority bus. After being struck, he got up and ran 50 yards before jumping in front of an eastbound minivan.
Essayah, who was severely injured, was transported to the hospital. Redding police said that he appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine.
An unidentified 15-year-old was arrested in Sacramento Friday after he was the subject of a vehicle pursuit that began in West Sacramento.
The underage driver crashed into several parked cars in the downtown area and attempted to flee on foot, Sacramento police officials reported.
The driver, not identified because of his age, was arrested after he was found trying to hide in the lobby of a nearby building.
A motorcycle collided with an SUV at a Rancho Cordova intersection Friday, killing the motorcyclist, according to a spokesman for the Sacramento Sheriff and Rancho Cordova police.
The SUV driver appears to have been legally traveling through a green light at the intersection of Bradshaw and Gore roads at 7 p.m. when it was hit by the motorcycle, going north through the intersection.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office have identified the victim as Christopher Shurrum, 32, of Sacramento.
The crash is under investigation by Rancho Cordova police.
The California Highway Patrol has identified the vehicle involved in a March 22 hit-and-run fatality as a 1997 or 1998 white Ford Expedition.
The CHP seeks the public's help in finding the driver and the vehicle that fled the scene on Winding Way, leaving Paul Pellandini, 57, dead and his friend, William Collins, 54, injured. Officials say the Expedition likely has a broken right headlight, broken right front mirror and a broken windshield. The CHP today released photos (above) of the type of vehicle involved.
Pellandini and Collins had been visiting with each other at Pellandini's residence on the north side of Winding Way, west of Carnegie Way, and had walked to Collins' vehicle about 5:45 p.m. As the two men talked next to Collins' vehicle, a Ford Expedition westbound on Winding Way traveled onto the shoulder where the men were standing and struck both of them. Both men were thrown into the air and came to rest on the right shoulder of the roadway, according to the CHP.
Five people were sent to the hospital when a car and a light-rail train collided at 10th and O streets in downtown Sacramento this morning.
The collision occurred about 11:10 a.m. and involved a Gold Line train traveling outbound from 8th and O streets to the Archives Plaza station, according to a Regional Transit spokeswoman.
The car was traveling northbound on 10th Street when the collision occurred.
A Sacramento police spokesman said that after the train hit the black BMW, the BMW collided with a silver Toyota Corolla. The BMW was then pushed about 30 yards into a tree by the train.
The light-rail train and the tree pinned the car, requiring fire department personnel to use a tool to remove the roof from the automobile to rescue the driver. The driver was transported to the hospital with moderate injuries, according to police.
A person in the Toyota was also taken to the hospital, along with three passengers from the train.
Police will be looking at video from a camera aboard the light-rail train to find out who was at fault in the crash. Police also took statements from numerous witnesses.
Photo caption: The scene of a car and light-rail train collision at 10th and O streets in downtown Sacramento on Thursday morning. Photo by Randy Pench / rpench@sacbee.com
A car and a light-rail train collided at 10th and O streets in downtown this morning.
The collision occurred about 11:10 a.m. and involved a Gold Line train traveling outbound from downtown from 8th and O streets to the Archives Plaza station, according to a Regional Transit spokeswoman.
The car was traveling northbound on 10th Street when the collision occurred. At least two passengers on the train were transported to the hospital
Grant Line Road in rural eastern Sacramento County will remain blocked until at least early afternoon after a big rig broke off a power pole.
The accident happened about 4:30 a.m. when a big rig driver failed to negotiate a curve when he was traveling northbound on Grant Line Road south of White Rock Road. The truck hit a power pole and lines started to arc.
The lines lowered and blocked Grant Line Road. The driver was not injured.
It is estimated that Grant Line will remain closed until at least 2 or 3 p.m., according to a Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Alternate routes are Douglas Road, White Rock Road or Sunrise Boulevard, according to California Highway Patrol officer Rich Wetzel.
A rural stretch of road often used by commuters between Folsom and Rancho Cordova is blocked this morning after a big rig sheared off a power pole.
The accident happened about 4:30 a.m. when a big rig driver failed to negotiate a curve when he was traveling northbound on Grant Line Road south of White Rock Road. The trailer hit a power pole and lines started to arc.
The lines lowered and were still blocking Grant Line Road two hours later. The driver was not injured.
No estimate was available for when the road would re-open. Alternate routes are Douglas Road, White Rock Road or Sunrise Boulevard, according to California Highway Patrol officer Rich Wetzel.
PHOTO CAPTION: A SMUD worker evaluates the situation before a power pole can be lifted from atop a big rig. Randy Pench/Sacramento Bee
A resident of Cool died last night when his car ran off the road and hit a tree along Interstate 80 in Placer County.
Robert H. Atteberry, 66, was driving his sport utility vehicle westbound on I-80 near Rocklin Road about 8 p.m. when for unknown reasons his SUV swerved to the right, according to a press release from the California Highway Patrol.
His SUV then hit a large oak tree along the highway. Atteberry, who was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, died at the scene.
A Sacramento area CHP officer is in fair condition after being stabbed by a female motorist during a traffic stop this afternoon in the Foothill Farms neighborhood.
The incident began with a male officer responding to a call about at hit-and-run driver at 2:10 p.m. near Shenandoah Drive and Hemlock Streets, said Lizz Dutton, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol.
The driver had struck a residential fence, Dutton said.
The officer stopped a dark green Saturn believed to be involved. The female driver refused to give her information to the officer and against instructions got out of the car, Dutton said.
Sacramento police arrested a man suspected of trying to ram a fire department ambulance on the highway.
Fire department personnel were called to the 300 block of Graves Avenue about 9 a.m. Sunday in the Strawberry Manor neighborhood for a woman who needed medical aid. When they arrived, the woman's son was belligerent, according to a police department activity log.
Police responded and the fire department ambulance began transporting the mother to the hospital. Police allege that during transport, her son, Johnie Clemon, 30, tried to run into the ambulance on the highway.
Categories: Fire, Sacramento, Sacramento County, Traffic accidents, Violent Crime
California Highway Patrol officers arrested a 25-year-old Newcastle man Sunday in connection with a fatal hit-and-run accident last week that killed a tow truck driver.
Michael Keller, 25, of Newcastle was booked into Placer County jail Sunday and is expected to be charged with vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident, according to jail records. His bail has been set at $75,000.
Tow truck driver David Robinson Jr. was struck on March 20, while he was out of his tow truck on westbound Interstate 80, west of Ophir Road.
A Citrus Heights man identified as a convicted felon is in jail after he allegedly broadsided a vehicle at a Rio Linda intersection while leading CHP officers on a chase Thursday afternoon.
About 2:40 p.m., a CHP officer attempted to make a vehicle stop on a green 2003 GMC Yukon at Q Street and 26th Street in Rio Linda. The driver of the Yukon failed to yield to the patrol vehicle's lights and siren, and instead continued at high speeds down Q Street to Rio Linda Boulevard, according to a CHP news release.
The Yukon then headed south on Rio Linda Boulevard, and as it approached Elkhorn Boulevard, the driver failed to stop for a red traffic light. The Yukon broadsided a silver 2006 Chrysler 300 that was westbound on Elkhorn.
The California Highway Patrol seeks the public's help to locate the driver of a vehicle that struck and killed a tow-truck driver Tuesday.
David Robinson Jr. had gotten out of his tow truck about 4:15 p.m. on westbound Interstate 80, west of Ophir Road, when a vehicle struck him and immediately left the scene.
Witnesses described the vehicle as a silver or light grey 1990 to 1993 Honda or Acura sedan. The vehicle has extensive right-front damage, primarily to the windshield area, according to a CHP news release. Witnesses reported there were no license plates on the vehicle, but a temporary operating permit was attached to the rear window.
A man lying down in a lane of Highway 99 in Chico was run over early this morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Todd Meshekey, 38, of Chico, suffered major injuries as a result of being run over by a vehicle that kept on going.
The CHP said a witness told officers that Meshekey was lying on Highway 99 just north of Highway 32 about 12:20 a.m.. Several vehicles were able to avoid hitting him by taking evasive action.
One motorist even made an attempt to get him out of the roadway, according to a CHP press release.
After he was struck, Meshekey moved from the roadway to the right shoulder. The vehicle that struck him fled the scene prior to CHP arrival.
Anyone who has information regarding the incident is asked to call the Chico CHP at (530) 879-1999.
One person was injured and another killed this morning in a one-vehicle accident just north of Diamond Springs in El Dorado County.
Details on the accident reported to authorities at 3:25 a.m. were not immediately available. However, the California Highway Patrol said that the sports utility vehicle overturned on Highway 49 between Truck Street and the Weber Creek bridge.
One person was transported to the hospital and one died on the scene. Highway 49 was blocked until 5:56 a.m.
One person died and three others were injured in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 49 near Marysville Road in Yuba County this evening.
Officer Jeff Pingree of the California Highway Patrol said investigators were still on the scene and few details were available.
He said the crash occurred about 6:15 p.m., and the person who died was an Idaho resident.
West Sacramento police are looking for a man who fled from them this morning after driving the wrong way on Interstate 80.
Police are looking for Lino Garcia Jr., 34, on suspicion of evading police and vehicle theft. Garcia is 5 feet 5 inches tall and has a shaved head.
Police said they tried to stop Garcia for a vehicle violation about 7:45 a.m. today. He didn't stop and a one-minute pursuit was called off for public safety when police said Garcia began driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80.
He exited the freeway and hit another vehicle at Harbor Boulevard and West Capitol Avenue, police said. He was last seen fleeing in the 700 block of Glide Avenue.
A passenger, Christina Rangel, 30, was taken into custody.
Garcia has a felony warrant for his arrest out of Napa County, police said.
The Placer County sheriff's department has released the name of a tow truck driver who died Tuesday after being struck by a hit-and-run motorist on westbound Interstate 80 near Ophir in Placer County.
He was identified as David Garfield Robinson, 30, of Citrus Heights.
Officer David Martinez of the California Highway Patrol said the incident occurred about 4:15 p.m. on westbound I-80 just west of Ophir Road.
The tow truck driver was on the right shoulder of the freeway. Martinez said Robinson was not assisting a motorist and it has not been determined why he had pulled off the roadway. Robinson was struck by a vehicle that knocked him into the slow lane of traffic.
Martinez said Robinson was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he died.
Martinez said investigators are looking for the driver, who fled the scene.
Anyone with information, or a description of the vehicle or driver who fled, is asked to call the Auburn Area CHP Office, (916) 663-3344.
A man died in a collision Tuesday night at an intersection just north of Sacramento on Highway 99.
The California Highway Patrol reported that about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday a truck hauling a trailer carrying three cows was traveling southbound on Highway 99 at about 55 mph approaching Elverta Road.
A Dodge Neon headed eastbound on Elverta Road went through the intersection and was hit by the truck. It is not yet known who had the green light, said CHP officer Lizz Dutton.
The driver of the car, Jeffery Norris Springer, 42, of Antelope, died at the scene.
A Sacramento woman has been arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving after allegedly running a red light and striking a carload of teenagers in the Foothill Farms area early Sunday morning.
Kaitlin Bennett had a blood alcohol content exceeding the legal limit of 0.08 percent, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.
About 12:50 a.m. Sunday, Bennett, 26, was driving a white 1996 GMC Jimmy westbound on Madison Avenue, just east of Hackberry Lane, approaching a red traffic signal. Bennett failed to stop for the red light and broadsided the right side of a 1991 Ford Probe, driven by an 18-year-old Sacramento woman who was turning left onto northbound Hackberry Lane on a green arrow, officials said.
A tow truck driver has died after being struck by a hit-and-run motorist on westbound Interstate 80 near Ophir in Placer County.
Officer David Martinez of the California Highway Patrol said the hit-and-run event occurred about 4:15 p.m. on westbound I-80 just west of Ophir Road.
The tow truck driver was on the right shoulder of the freeway. Martinez said the man was not assisting a motorist and it has not been determined why the driver had pulled off the roadway. He was struck by a vehicle that knocked him into the slow lane of traffic.
Sacramento County Coroner's officials identified the pedestrian killed early Saturday in Elk Grove in a suspected hit-and-run collision as Jackson Allen Walden, 20, of Wilton.
Walden was believed to have been struck by a motorist at the intersection of Elk Grove Boulevard and School Street about 3:55 a.m. Saturday. Officers and medical personnel were unable to revive the man, who was unresponsive when he was discovered, and he was declared dead at the scene.
Elk Grove police found a dying or dead man in the roadway at Elk Grove Boulevard and School Street at 3:55 a.m. this morning.
Officers and medical personnel were unable to revive the man, who was unresponsive when he was discovered, and he was declared dead.
The unidentified man is believed to have been the victim of a hit-and-run accident, based on his injuries.
No life-threatening were reported this morning when a light rail train and a car crashed near Stockton Boulevard and 34th Street.
A Regional Transit spokeswoman said the incident occurred at 11:59 a.m. on the Gold Line. The train was headed outbound after leaving the 29th Street station and was headed for the 39th Street station.
The motorist was making a left hand turn from R Street onto Stockton Boulevard when the crash occurred. RT officials said there are no crossing arms blocking the street at that particular spot.
However, RT officials say warning lights flash above a sign that prohibits motorists from making left turns across the tracks when trains are approaching.
Sacramento Police Department spokeswoman Laura Peck said eight people were transported to hospitals. The five occupants of the car suffered minor to moderate injuries. Three people aboard the light-rail train complained of pain.
PHOTOS: The scene at 34th Street and Stockton Boulevard in East Sacramento after a car and light rail train collided Thursday. Photos by Alan LaGuardia.
A light rail train has hit a car at Stockton Boulevard and 34th street in Sacramento.
Passengers on the train had been taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Details were sketchy but a Regional Transit spokeswoman said the incident occurred at 11:59 a.m. on the Gold Line.
The train was headed outbound after leaving the 29th Street station and was headed for the 39th Street station when the crash occurred.
PHOTOS: The scene at 34th Street and Stockton Boulevard in East Sacramento after a car and light rail train collided Thursday. Photos by Alan LaGuardia.
The Yolo County coroner has released the name of a man who died Wednesday night when his car failed to negotiate a curve on an Interstate 5 off ramp in Woodland and his car crashed into a tree.
He was identified as Paul William Edwardson, 85, of Redding.
Sgt. Matt Polanco of the California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred about 5:15 p.m. on the North East Street offramp from southbound I-5. There is a tight turn in the downhill ramp, and the driver lost control on the curve. The vehicle, a Buick sedan, continued into a field and struck a large tree at high speed, Polanco said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. Polanco said investigators are trying to determine whether a medical condition, mechanical defect or the weather may have been contributing factors. A light rain was falling at the time of the crash, he said.
A man who said he had been drinking at a bar that had its license suspended for a month last year was arrested after his pickup slammed into a tree early this morning, according to Redding Police.
Cody T. Mosteller, 27, of Redding was driving northbound on Victor Avenue about 12:20 a.m. today when his pickup left the east side of the roadway, he over-corrected and then struck a tree on the west side.
Even though Mosteller was buckeled in, the force of the impact sent him through the passenger side window.
He was found in the road after being ejected, suffering from a scalp wound, broken ribs and back injuries. He was released to the hospital for care after being arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.
Police said that a witness reported that a vehicle matching that of Mosteller's pickup ran a red light on Hartnell Avenue. Another witness reported that a Mosteller was traveling at an estimated 100 mph on Victor Avenue just before the crash.
A police press release said that Mosteller told officers he had been taking prescription medicine and drinking at the Hen House prior to the collision.
The state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control suspended the license of the Hen House for 30 days in March 2011 for operating a "disorderly house." The bar at 2621 Hartnell Ave., was also placed on probation until March 2, 2013.
A press release from the ABC issued at the time of the one-month alcohol sale ban said that between Sept. 1, 2010 and Feb. 19, 2011, police were called to the Hen House numerous times for fights and public drunkenness.
A driver who caused a fatal traffic collision when she was text messaging behind the wheel on the freeway last year was sentenced today to five years in state prison.
Sequoia Monay Jones, 22, received the term for the Oct. 24 crash that knocked Robert Wilson, 64, of North Highlands, off his motorcycle and led to his death on the northbound Capital City Freeway near El Camino Avenue.
"Much has been said in recent years about the dangers of text messaging while driving," Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lawrence G. Brown told Jones at her sentencing. "And yet it persists. This case serves as a tragic precautionary tale. The defendant engaged in reckless and senseless behavior.
A driver whose car hit a tree on Madison Avenue near Sunrise Boulevard on Thursday afternoon has died.
Anthony Hernandez, 21, of Fair Oaks, was pronounced dead at a hospital four hours after the crash, according to the Sacramento County Coroner's office website.
Citrus Heights police officers were called to the 7000 block of westbound Madison Avenue about 1 p.m. regarding a single-vehicle crash. They found a red Acura Integra coupe with serious damage. Hernandez was the sole occupant.
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters had to use heavy pry tools to remove the driver from the vehicle, police said. Hernandez was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Police said witnesses who observed the vehicle just before the crash reported that it was being driven recklessly, weaving in and out of traffic at speeds in excess of 75 mph. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call the Citrus Heights Police Department, (916) 727-5500.
A driver was critically injured this afternoon after the vehicle he was driving slammed into a tree on Madison Avenue near Sunrise Boulevard.
Citrus Heights police officers were called to the 7000 block of westbound Madison Avenue about 1 p.m. regarding a single-vehicle crash. They found a red Acura Integra coupe with serious damage. The driver, a man in his 20s, was the sole occupant. Officers found him unconscious but breathing, according to a Police Department news release.
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters had to use heavy pry tools to remove the driver from the vehicle, police said. The man was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.
The Placer County Coroner's office has released the name of an 81-year-old man who was killed Wednesday morning in a collision on Indian Hill Road in Newcastle.
He was identified as Robert L. Fidler of Newcastle.
California Highway Patrol Officer David Martinez said the crash occurred about 11 a.m. when a Subaru Legacy pulled onto Indian Hill Road from a private driveway and into the path of a Chevy Tahoe driven by a 20-year-old Auburn man.
A Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy responding to a theft call slammed into a car in Arden Arcade this morning, sending a man to the hospital.
The driver of the car hit by the patrol car, a 54-year-old man, was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive. The deputy was treated and released from a hospital.
A police dog riding with the deputy was injured. The dog was treated by a veterinarian and will survive.
At about 1:30 a.m. today the deputy was traveling southbound on Watt Avenue without lights or siren activated when he collided with the car turning westbound onto Northrup Avenue from northbound Watt, according to sheriff's department spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.
The deputy was responding to a call about a theft in progress. Updates to the calls indicated that the victims of the theft were in a vehicle chasing the theft suspect.
The California Highway Patrol is conducting the accident investigation. Southbound Watt and Northrup Avenue were expected to remain closed until 8 a.m.
Northbound Watt is open.
The intersection of Greenback Lane and Sunrise Boulevard has reopened to traffic after a crash closed several lanes this afternoon.
Officer Jon Kempf said the incident was a possible hit-and-run collision involving two vehicles. Only minor injuries were reported, and all the injured were treated at the scene. No one was taken to the hospital. Kempf said investigators are seeking the driver of a truck who may have witnessed the collision.
Northbound lanes on Sunrise and eastbound lanes on Greenback were closed to traffic about 3 p.m. All were reopened by 4:15 p.m.
Deaths due to hand-held cell phone use by drivers have dropped since the state enacted a law banning the practice.
California enacted a ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving in July, 2008. A new report from the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at the University of California, Berkeley analyzed crash records two years before and two years after the ban went into effect.
The analysis showed that overall traffic deaths went down 22 percent while hand-held phone driver deaths declined 47 percent.
A Wilton woman died in a crash on Saturday when she lost control of her car and hit a fence and a power pole, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The CHP said that Katie Ann Shemberg, 26, died at the scene of the crash.
A CHP news release said that Shemberg was westbound on Green Road, just east of Jeffcott Road, in Wilton about 8:30 a.m. Saturday at an unsafe speed and was unable to negotiate a sweeping curve.
A man died Wednesday when his van slid off a road outside of Colfax and hit a tree.
The man, Jeffrey Lynn Menesez, 62, from Grass Valley, was driving about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday on Placer Hills Road north of Plumtree Road toward Colfax when he lost control of his van.
The van slid off the roadway and struck a large oak tree, according to the California Highway Patrol. Light snow was falling in the area at the time of the crash, according to a CHP officer.
Menesez died at the scene, according to the CHP.
A police sweep of suspected gang members in Lodi ended with a pursuit and a crash.
The sweep on Wednesday consisted of police checking to see if suspected gang members were violating parole or probation.
About 30 searches resulted in five arrests, including one for possession of drug paraphernalia.
In the waning hours of the sweep Wednesday night, police tried to stop a vehicle in a known gang area, according to a press release. A short pursuit at high speeds ended when the fleeing vehicle hit a brick wall along Cherokee Lane near Century Boulevard.
As officers approached the vehicle, one of the occupants threw down what turned out to be a replica of a handgun. The three in the vehicle were taken to the hospital.
Police said the driver will be booked on evasion of a police officer. Police suspect alcohol might have had something to do with why the driver fled from officers. An investigation is on-going.
The Dillard Road offramp of northbound Highway 99 south of Elk Grove is closed so that tow truck crews can upright a big rig trailer.
The back trailer of the rig flipped over on its side in the rain about 6:30 a.m. The cab portion of the rig stayed upright, according to a California Highway Patrol traffic website.
The Dillard road offramp is estimated to remain closed until 1 p.m. Traffic on northbound Highway 99 is slow.
A suspected drunk driver slammed into a family in a small car last night in the community of Sutter west of Yuba City, according to a California Highway Patrol press release.
Juan M. Duran was driving his family in his Honda Civic shortly before midnight eastbound on Butte House Road east of Cedar Street when Timothy M. Roberts, 24, of Sutter driving westbound in a van crossed into Duran's traffic lane, according to the CHP.
The head-on collision caused minor back, chest and knee injuries to Duran, 61, of Live Oak. Also injured in Duran's car were Yesenia Vasquez, 36, moderate abdominal, chest, back and shoulder pain, Lexxinn Vazquez, 11, minor back pain, and Ivan Vazquez, 3, a cut to his mouth.
Roberts was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after receiving stitches to his knee.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of a go-cart driver killed in a collision with a pickup in Elk Grove on Saturday.
He was identified as Daniel Gordon Orth, 33, of Sacramento.
Police spokesman Christopher Trim said the accident took place shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday in the 9400 block of Bowmont Way.
The driver of a speeding car was killed when the vehicle hit a large oak tree just north of Sacramento International Airport early this morning.
The California Highway Patrol reported that at about 1 a.m. today the driver of a Volkswagen Passat was traveling westbound on Riego Road at the Garden Highway at a high rate of speed when the vehicle launched into the air and into a homeowner's yard.
While in the air, the car struck a fence post and then the oak tree head-on. The car then burst into flames.
A CHP press release said the driver probably died from impact, given the severity of the crash.
The name of the driver, and whether the motorist was a man or a woman, has not been released. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call (530) 674-5141.
The man who ran over Maggie the cattle dog has been given more jail time.
Justin Phillip Lombardo-Barton, 19, of Camptonville, was sentenced in October to five years probation and time served. A Sierra Superior Court judge gave Lombardo-Barton credit for 122 days served in county jail.
Sierra County District Attorney Larry Allen said in an e-mail that Lombardo-Barton was recently brought back into court on a probation violation for failing to keep in contact with his probation officer.
This time the judge game him 360 days in jail and reinstated probation.
Lombardo-Barton, who pleaded no contest to felony animal cruelty and hit-and-run badly injured the border collie that Nevada County rancher John Reader raised from a pup.
On June 19, Maggie was helping Reader and mounted riders herd about 300 head of cattle along Alleghany-Ridge Road in Sierra County en route to summer pasture. Pilot cars were in front and back of the herd.
As the cattle moved along the road, cars stopped to let the herd pass. But a white Jeep Cherokee pushed through instead of waiting. Reader said the driver gunned the car, ran into a calf and cow, and struck Maggie, who was on the road's shoulder.
Maggie suffered a broken right hind leg and a deep cut to her left hind leg, and her liver and stomach were pushed into her chest cavity. She underwent surgery to repair her broken leg with a pin and screws.
A few days later, Sierra County sheriff's deputies arrested Lombardo-Barton.
Maggie was nursed back to health by Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic and eventually went back to the Reader ranch. Dozens of people donated to help cover her medical costs.
PHOTO CAPTION: Maggie, the injured cattle dog, is released from Loomis Basin Veterinary Hospital in July 2011/Autumn Cruz/Sacramento Bee
A 45-year-old man was in critical condition in the hospital Sunday after he was struck in the crosswalk by a hit-and-run motorist at Stockton Boulevard this morning, the Sacramento Police Department reported.
Police said the incident occurred before 7 a.m. at Stockton Boulevard and Dias Avenue.
Investigators reported the car that hit the pedestrian was a newer model charcoal gray sedan, possibly a Honda., and that the driver is an Asian mail, 36-42 years old, medium build with "scruffy facial hair."
By Carlos Alcalá
An accident initially described as a hit-and-run involving a pedestrian turned out to be a woman who was seriously injured after she leapt, fell or was pushed out of her boyfriend's car.
The 35-year-old woman, whose name was not released, had been drinking with her boyfriend in a bar on Northgate Boulevard.
After leaving the bar, they were in a car on Northgate near San Juan Road when the woman left the car in an unknown fashion.
By Bill Lindelof
A 53-year-old woman died this morning in a head-on crash south of Yuba City.
A California Highway Patrol press release said that a 20-year-old woman was driving northbound on Highway 99 north of Messick Road about 6 a.m. when she fell asleep at the wheel and drifted toward the southbound lanes.
A car driven by the 53 year old woman traveling in the opposite direction tried to take evasive action and veered to the left into the center two-way left turn lane to avoid a crash. She was unable to avoid a collision and the two cars crashed head on.
An oncoming northbound car was unable avoid the collision and struck the crashed vehicles. Another car, heading southbound, also was unsuccessful in stopping and struck the car of the 20-year-old woman.
The woman initially hit head-on by the dozing driver died at the scene, according to the CHP.
The 20 year old, identified as Angela Elizabeth Mah, 20, of Concord, suffered a broken leg.
The drivers of the other two cars did not suffer major injuries.
One person was killed in a crash just south of Yuba City this morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The accident occurred on Highway 99 just south of Oswald Road at about 6 a.m. and involved at least four vehicles. Information on how the accident occurred was not immediately available.
All lanes have been reopened.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of a four-year-old boy who was been killed in what authorities described as a road rage incident involving his father and a second driver.
Ryan Chanthavong of Sacramento died after his father, 26-year-old Joe Chanthavong, crashed his car as the second driver followed him and he tried to exit from Interstate 5 near the Garden Highway Saturday afternoon.
When Chanthavong lost control of his car, it went down an embankment, according to a California Highway Patrol officer.
The boy, who was not properly secured in a child restraint seat, was thrown from the car and killed.
Joe Chanthavong and the child's mother, 23-year-old Melinda Phouglonghong, who was also in the car, suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the second car drove away.
The motorist who died early Monday morning when the car he was in left the roadway and struck a tree near the California State University, Sacramento, campus has been released.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office identified him as William F. Schuster, 21, of Sacramento.
The car Schuster was in was traveling eastbound on J Street near Carlson Drive about 12:45 a.m. Monday when the vehicle left the roadway and struck at least one tree.
Schuster, who was ejected from the vehicle, died at the scene.
A man and a woman who were also in the car, were transported to the hospital with significant injuries, a Sacramento police spokeswoman said.
Police have not determined a cause for the crash.
Initially, police identified Schuster as the driver of the car. However, investigators are not absolutely sure as yet if he was driving.
A driver died this morning when his car left the roadway and struck a tree near Sacramento State.
The Mitsubishi automobile was headed eastbound on J Street near Carlson Drive about 12:45 a.m. today when it left roadway and struck at least one tree.
The driver, a man in his 20s whose name has not yet been released, died at the scene. His passengers, a man and a woman, were transported to the hospital with significant injuries, a Sacramento police spokeswoman said.
The 4-year-old son of an unlicensed Sacramento motorist was killed Saturday when the father engaged in apparent road-rage exchanges with another driver and lost control of his car on Interstate 5, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said.
Joe Chanthavong, 26, was driving a blue 1999 Honda Accord south on I-5 from Interstate 80 at about 4:20 p.m. and was engaging in some type of road rage with the driver of another vehicle following behind, CHP Officer Lizz Dutton said.
Dutton said the drivers of both vehicles were making unsafe lane changes, following too closely and speeding. Just north of the Garden Highway, while Chanthavong was in the No. 2 lane, he abruptly turned to the right in an effort to exit the freeway.
Carlos Alcala
A jackknifed semi truck has been cleared from where it was blocking northbound traffic on Interstate 5 near Laguna Boulevard, the California Highway Patrol reports
The truck driver lost control in the rain about a mile north of Laguna Boulevard at about 6:20 a.m., said Officer Rich Wetzel, CHP spokesman.
All lanes are now open, though the backup had stretched back into San Joaquin County, so it may take time for the traffic jam to clear.
No injuries or spilled cargo was reported.
Carlos Alcala
A bicyclist riding on Highway 70 at Lake Oroville was killed Monday when he was hit by a pickup truck, California Highway Patrol officials reported.
The 22-year-old cyclist, who has not been identified, was crossing the West Branch Bridge over an arm of the lake in darkness at about 7:25 p.m.
According to witnesses, he was in a lane of traffic and not equipped with lights or reflectors.
The cyclist was struck by a 2012 Ford F350 driven by a motorist from Grants Pass, Ore.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Carlos Alcala
A crash involving a Regional Transit bus is blocking southbound lanes on Watt Avenue at Winona Way in North Highlands.
The collision involved a Dodge Durango and Chevrolet HHR in addition to the bus.
Minor injuries are reported and the California Highway Patrol is on scene.
Drivers are advised to use alternate routes, including Roseville Road, to avoid the area of the accident.
Glen Davis was driving to work this morning when he saw the late-model four-door sedan lodged in the side of a tree on Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights.
He said he almost kept driving to his job at the American River Fish Hatchery, since a couple had already stopped to help the occupants of the crashed car, apparent victims of a single-car accident.
Then he saw the woman passerby struggling to open the driver's door. He quickly pulled off the road to help.
Robert Davila
rdavila@sacbee.com
A parolee has been arrested in Redding after allegedly crashing his car into another vehicle and then fleeing with his toddler, who was riding with him, police said.
James Richard Atkinson Jr., 39, of Redding initially gave a false name when he was arrested Thursday, according to a written statement from the Redding Police Department. After learning his true identity, he was found to be on active state parole, officials said.
Officers also found his 2-year-old daughter in the vehicle with him, along with suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, the statement said. He was arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse, parole violation and hit and run.
Police said officers heading to a report of a reckless driver around 11 a.m. Thursday received another call about a vehicle that was hit by a car that failed to stop near Park Marina Drive and South Street in Redding.
The hit-and-run victim followed but lost sight of the suspect vehicle, a 2001 Suzuki Esteem, near Lake Boulevard and Boulder Drive. Officers found the vehicle in an apartment parking lot, where the hit-and-run victim arrived and identified the driver as the suspect, police said.
A man was found dead after he was hit last night by a Union Pacific train on railroad tracks south of the Arden Way overpass, officials said.
Train workers reported they stopped the train after hitting an unknown object around 10:15 p.m. and found the body of an unidentified man, Sacramento police Sgt. Andrew Pettit said.
The victim was described as a black man, possibly in his 40s. The accident is being investigated by Union Pacific authorities, Pettit said.
All lanes are open and traffic is clearing up on southbound Interstate 5 at Arena Boulevard in Natomas, where a Toyota Corolla collided with a big rig, officials said.
The small car flipped over on its roof during the collision, which happened around 7 a.m. The driver reportedly was taken to a hospital with undetermined injuries.
Three lanes were closed and southbound traffic was backed up on Interstate 5 beyond the Highway 99 split for almost an hour before the road was cleared.
By Robert D. Dávila
bdavila@sacbee.com
The driver of a stolen commercial van was booked into Yolo County Jail after leading law enforcement officials on a highway chase from West Sacramento to the Tracy area, officials said.
Jeremy Allan Pratt of West Sacramento was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of several felonies, including possessing stolen property and evading arrest, California Highway Patrol Officer Adrian Quintero said Wednesday.
Officials said the chase began around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday when an officer from the CHP's auto theft unit saw Pratt get behind the wheel of the parked commercial truck on Jefferson Boulevard in West Sacramento. The officer was investigating cases involving stolen commercial vehicles in West Sacramento when he spotted the van and found it was reported stolen.
A Sacramento woman pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving Monday in the Oct. 24 death of a 64-year-old motorcyclist on the Capital City Freeway, according to Sacramento Superior Court online records.
Sequoia Monay Jones, 22, entered her plea in front of Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lawrence G. Brown, who scheduled her sentencing for March 12.
Driving a Volkswagen Beetle, Jones sideswiped Robert Wilson's motorcycle on the northbound freeway north of El Camino Avenue. Wilson was knocked off the motorcycle in the 8:50 p.m. collision and then struck by another vehicle.
Jones, who fled the scene of the crash, has remained in custody since her arrest two days after the collision.
By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com
Sacramento police officers conducting a traffic checkpoint overnight Friday and early Saturday arrested four people on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Officers contacted 917 vehicles during the operation, which was held at 24th Street and Fruitridge Road.
They screened 59 drivers for license violations, issued 56 citations and had 21 vehicles towed.
The four arrests were the result of screening six drivers for possible impaired driving.
A three year old in a stroller was pushed into traffic Thursday by his drunken mother, Redding police said.
The stroller with the little boy in it was then hit by an SUV. The child suffered broken bones and was eventually flown to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.
Redding police said the incident began when Michelle Dawn Sudeta, 25, of Redding began to cross Eureka Way near Overhill Drive about 8 p.m. Thursday.
She was pushing her son in a stroller, trailed by her two daughters, 8 and 9 years old, who urged their mother not to cross the road because it was dangerous, according to a police press release.
When she got to the center lane of Eureka Way, police said she briefly paused and then abruptly continued, pushing the stroller into the path of an on-coming Ford Expedition.
The driver did his best to prevent a full force impact, veering away from the stroller. Still, the little boy was hurt and the stroller demolished.
Police said that Sudeta was arrested on suspicion of endangering the lives of children and booked into Shasta County Jail. Police allege Sudeta, who is homeless, was intoxicated, agitated and uncooperative at the scene.
Honolulu authorities say that a police officer killed over the weekend when he stopped to help a stalled driver grew up in Folsom.
Officer Garret Davis, 28, pulled over to help a motorist whose vehicle had stalled in the left lane of the H-1 freeway in Aiea about 8 p.m. Saturday. The officer had turned on his blue lights and had stopped behind the stalled vehicle to shield it from traffic.
Before Davis was able to get out of his police cruiser, his squad car was slammed into the stalled vehicle by a oncoming pickup driven by a 41-year-old man, according to Police Chief Louis Kealoha in a department Facebook post.
By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com
A 21-year-old man was killed when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Highway 113 in Woodland early today, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The man, a resident of Foster City, was walking in the northbound lanes of 113 north of County Road 29 at about 3:50 a.m.
He was hit and killed by an unknown vehicle which fled the scene and has not been located.
The incident is under investigation, and anyone with information on the hit-and-run is asked to call CHP at (530) 662-4685.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of the big rig driver who died Thursday when his vehicle slammed into an embankment and freeway overcrossing south of Elk Grove.
He was identified as Bruce Allen Land, 55, of Lodi.
Land's rig was northbound on Interstate 5 about 1:15 a.m. Thursday when his truck and trailer carrying groceries crossed into the southbound lanes. The rig then hit the embankment and bridge overcrossing at Dierssen Road.
The truck and trailer was destroyed in the crash. Land died at the scene.
A 16-year-old girl suffered critical injuries today after she was struck in the crosswalk while crossing a busy south Sacramento road, according to police.
The girl was crossing Fruitridge Road southbound at 58th Avenue. An eastbound car in the far left lane stopped for her, but a car in the next lane did not and struck her, said police Sgt. Andrew Pettit.
The girl was taken to a local hospital with severe injuries, Pettit said.
The Police Department's traffic investigation team responded to the scene.
CALSTAR air ambulance will move its helicopter base operations from McClellan Park to Vacaville.
California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CALSTAR), a not-for-profit air ambulance company serving northern and central California, will relocate the helicopter base operations from McClellan Park in North Highlands to existing operations at the Nut Tree Airport.
The company also announced that the helicopter base in Jackson, Amador County, would end.
The consolidation of the bases would have no major impact on communities CALSTAR serves, said the company's chief executive, Lynn Malmstrom.
He said the move was undertaken to "eliminate redundancies" and "more efficiently serve patients."
Malmstrom noted the opening of three new trauma centers, which shorten travel time from accident scenes.
"Kaiser South Sacramento, NorthBay Medical in Fairfield and Kaiser Vacaville all recently became designated trauma centers," he said.
CALSTAR employees affected by the changes are being offered positions at the other bases, as well as at the company's McClellan Park headquarters.
CALSTAR operates 18 helicopters at bases in Ukiah, Vacaville, Concord, Gilroy, Salinas, Santa Maria, Auburn, South Lake Tahoe and two airplanes at McClellan.
A big rig driver died early this morning when his vehicle slammed into an embankment and freeway overcrossing south of Elk Grove.
The driver of the rig was northbound on Interstate 5 about 1:15 a.m. when his truck and trailer carrying groceries crossed into the southbound lanes. The rig then hit the embankment and bridge overcrossing at Lambert Road.
The truck and trailer was destroyed in the high-speed crash. The driver died at the scene.
All lanes of traffic have been reopened after crews picked up truck debris and removed the rig.
Names of the man and woman who died in a collision in Elk Grove last night have been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.
The coroner's website identified Ashley Simpson, 21, of Elk Grove, and Christopher Ragosa, 34, of Elk Grove as the crash victims.
Elk Grove police spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said the crash occurred shortly before 6 p.m. on Kammerer Road east of McMillan Road.
Investigators have determined that Simpson was driving a white Ford Mustang westbound on Kammerer Road when she lost control and crossed into oncoming traffic, striking a Ford Focus traveling in the opposite direction
The Mustang was forced off the roadway and into a ditch. Simpson was partially ejected from the car. She and her passenger, Ragosa, died at the scene.
The driver of the Focus, the only person in that vehicle, was taken to a hospital. Trim said he did not know the nature of the man's injuries.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
A man and woman have died and another man has been injured in a two-vehicle collision on Kammerer Road east of McMillan Road in Elk Grove.
Elk Grove police spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said the crash occurred shortly before 6 p.m. A white Ford Mustang was westbound on Kammerer Road with two occupants when it veered into oncoming traffic and was struck broadside by a Ford Focus.
Trim said the Mustang flipped over and one person was ejected. Both occupants of the Mustang, who appeared to be in their 20s, were pronounced dead at the scene, he said. The driver of the Focus, the only person in that vehicle, was taken to a hospital. Trim said he did not know the nature of the man's injuries.
He said Kammerer Road will be closed to traffic for several hours from just east of the Elk Grove Promenade to McMillan Road while officers conduct their investigation.
A bicyclist wearing no helmet and without proper lighting on his bike suffered major injury last night when he was broadsided by a Jeep in Linda, Yuba County, according to the CHP.
The bicyclist, Laurence R. Kundert, 53, of Marysville was riding a mountain bike northbound on North Beale Road just east of the intersection of Hammonton-Smartville Road about 8 p.m. Monday.
The California Highway Patrol said that he was wearing dark clothing, was helmetless, was without proper bike lighting and may have been wearing headphones when he was hit by a vehicle eastbound on North Beale Lane.
The driver of the Jeep Cherokee that hit Kundert had a green light and suddenly saw the bike rider in front of her, according to a CHP press release. She applied her brakes but still struck the bike, causing major head trauma and body fractures to Kundert.
Sacramento coroner's officials today identified a man who died Saturday after trying to cross Fair Oaks Boulevard in Carmichael as 50-year-old Richard Edward Halford.
Halford left a McDonald's restaurant at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Manzanita Avenue about 7 p.m. Saturday and was crossing the road when he was hit by a motorist headed north on Fair Oaks Boulevard, California Highway Patrol officials reported.
CHP spokeswoman Officer Liz Dutton said paramedics recognized Halford Saturday night as the same man who had suffered broken ribs in a fall the previous night.
The driver in the collision was not cited.
By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com
A 32-year-old Oroville man was killed late Thursday night after he drove his 2008 Toyota into the rear of another car on a state road in Butte County.
Andrew Daniel Odor was pronounced dead at Oroville Medical Center, where he was taken after being pulled from the burning wreckage of his car and given cardiopulmonary resuscitation by California Highway Patrol officers, according to a news release from the California Highway Patrol.
The release states that Odor's car was traveling at a high rate of speed and "for an unknown reason" struck the rear of a 1991 Lexus driven by Sandra Eloise Lord, causing both vehicles to leave the road. Odor's northbound car then crossed the southbound lanes and crashed into a metal road-sign support structure in the center median, the release states.
A CHP dispatcher in Chico said that officials have not determined whether alcohol was a factor in the collision and that there would be no further comment beyond the news release.
Lord, 61, complained of a headache but declined treatment and was released from the scene of the accident, the release states.
Call The Bee's Denny Walsh, (916) 321-1189.
A motorcyclist was killed late Thursday afternoon after running a red light and clipping a vehicle in a heavily traveled intersection.
Roseville Police Lt. Marc Glynn said the motorcyclist was westbound on Pleasant Grove Boulevard about 5:30 p.m. and went through a red light at Washington Boulevard. Vehicles in two left-turn lanes on Washington Boulevard were turning onto eastbound Pleasant Grove, and the motorcyclist clipped one of them, Glynn said.
No one in the other vehicle was injured.
The name of the motorcyclist has not been released pending notification of family.
The intersection was closed for several hours while police investigated the crash.
A motorcyclist has died in a collision that has closed a heavily traveled Roseville intersection.
Roseville Police Department spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said the collision between the motorcycle and a car occurred about 5:30 p.m. at the intersection of Washington and Pleasant Grove boulevards. She said the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.
Details regarding the collision were not immediately available.
Gunther said the intersection is expected to be closed for several hours while police conduct their investigation. Motorists are asked to avoid the area and use alternate routes.
Sacramento police are seeking the public's help in locating a person who struck a 15-year-old girl last month and seriously injured her before fleeing the scene.
Police have no description of the driver involved in the Dec. 31 accident in the Valley Hi area, according to a news release. However, he is believed to have been driving a dark Ford Focus, made sometime between 2006 and 2010, similar to the one pictured at left, the release states.
The girl and a friend were walking eastbound in the bicycle lane on Valley Hi Drive, near Hitchcock Way, when a driver travelling the same direction struck the teen, the release states. She was knocked to the sidewalk. The driver did not stop.
The girl later was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, police said.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police Detective Brian Schrum at (916) 808-6032, the dispatch center at (916) 264-5471 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
An Auburn woman who died Sunday afternoon when she lost control of her motorcycle on Salmon Falls Road has been identified by the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department as Vickie G. Altman.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Altman, 52, was northbound on her 2007 BMW motorcycle on Salmon Falls Road north of Pilot View Road in El Dorado County at an unknown speed about 3:45 p.m. when she traveled off the roadway. The motorcycle hit a utility pole and Altman was thrown from the bike. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The CHP said there were no witnesses to the accident.
Two men who died in a head-on crash in Folsom on Saturday night have been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Christopher Stephen Martell, 37, and Robert Todd Ohlander, 32, both of Citrus Heights.
The men were northbound on Folsom Boulevard in a Saturn about 6:45 p.m. when a southbound sport utility vehicle, driven by Michael Sharp of Folsom, crossed the center line into the northbound lane, hitting the Saturn head-on near Parkshore Drive, according to the Folsom Police Department.
Emergency personnel declared Martell and Ohlander dead at the scene. Another person in their vehicle was taken to a local hospital with what were described as non-lethal injuries.
Sharp was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He was initially hospitalized due to his injuries but was booked into Sacramento County Jail on Sunday night. Bail is set at $2 million.
Five people were injured and the driver arrested when a car barreled through a bar patio at a Folsom bowling alley early this morning.
Tera Lee Nicholson, 41, of Folsom was arrested at the scene for suspicion of drunken driving causing major injury.
Folsom police and firefighters were called to Folsom Lake Bowl on East Bidwell Street about 12:30 a.m. today where a vehicle had crashed through a wrought iron fence and into a patio containing patrons of the bar.
When officers and firefighters arrived they found five people who were hurt. None of the injuries were considered critical, according to a police press release.
The venerable Lake Bowl, a mainstay on East Bidwell for more than 40 years, is a combination bowling alley, bar and casino. The patio, where smokers go for a cigarette, extends off the bar.
PHOTO CAPTION: Tera Lee Nicholson
Editor's note: Comments on this post were closed Jan. 10 because of personal attacks and other inappropriate comments.
The Yolo County Coroner's office has released the name of a man killed Friday when a car overturned on a Woodland off-ramp.
The man was identified as Robert Dale Sunderland III, 25, of Woodland.
The 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was on the off-ramp from southbound Interstate 5 to County Road 102 at about 9 p.m. when the driver, a 22-year-old man from Sacramento, lost control.
A lone motorcyclist died when she traveled off Salmon Falls Road and hit a utility pole on Sunday afternoon.
The 52-year-old woman from Auburn was driving her 2007 BMW motorcycle northbound on Salmon Falls Road north of Pilot View Road in El Dorado County at an unknown speed around 3:45 p.m.
The motorcycle left the roadway, struck a telephone pole and the woman was thrown from the bike.
The name of a man who died in a head-on crash Wednesday night in rural El Dorado County has been released by sheriff's officials.
He was identified as 35-year-old Brian Joseph Hale. The California Highway Patrol said he was a Roseville resident.
The crash occurred about 6:30 p.m. on Mt. Aukum Road south of Paradise Ranch Road. Preliminary indications are that a car driving southbound on Mt. Aukum Road may have been traveling without headlights turned on when the driver crossed the center line, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A 21-year-old man was arrested this morning for suspicion of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after he allegedly caused a head-on crash in Folsom on Saturday evening, killing two people, Sacramento Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jason Browning said.
Browning said Michael Sharp of Folsom was arrested also for investigation of drug-impaired driving causing serious injury or death in connection with the crash, which occurred about 6:45 p.m.
Browning said Sharp was driving a sports utility vehicle south on Folsom Boulevard when his vehicle crossed the center line into the northbound lane, hitting a Saturn head-on near Parkshore Drive.
A single-car crash killed one of four people Friday after an automobile overturned on a Woodland off-ramp, California Highway Patrol officials reported.
The 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was on the off-ramp from southbound Interstate 5 to County Road 102 at about 9 p.m. when the driver, a 22-year-old man from Sacramento, lost control.
The vehicle overturned several times and came to rest on its roof.
A Roseville man died in a head-on crash Wednesday night in rural El Dorado County.
The crash occurred about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on Mt. Aukum Road south of Paradise Ranch Road. Preliminary indications are that a car driving southbound on Mt. Aukum Road may have been traveling without headlights turned on when the driver crossed over the center line, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The car hit a pickup traveling in the opposite direction head-on. The accident remains under investigation.
The name of a man who was hit and killed by a motorist over the weekend while crossing a street in his wheelchair in south Sacramento County has been released.
He was identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's office as David Vaillancourt, 53, of Sacramento.
California Highway Patrol Officer Michael Bradley reported that about 6 p.m. Sunday Vaillancourt was crossing Power Inn Road north of Blackhawk Drive.
Vaillancourt was outside of a marked crosswalk, Bradley said, when a southbound vehicle traveling 35 mph hit his wheelchair.
The wheelchair had no reflectors and was not seen by the driver, Bradley said.
The Sacramento County District Attorney's office has received grants totaling $1.37 million to fight drug-impaired driving.
"These grants will enable us to prosecute drug-related driving offenses with the same level of expertise and success as alcohol-related DUI cases," said District Attorney Jan Scully.
Funding includes:
-- $435,000 to buy an instrument for the crime lab to test for drugs such as Xanax, Valium, Ambien and marijuana in drug-impaired driving cases. Funding also includes a portable breath testing instrument and employee overtime costs for crime lab staff to help at DUI checkpoints.
-- $935,000 to expand a program that prosecutes DUIs that result in death or serious injury. With the additional funding, the unit will expand to include drug-impaired driving cases.
The two grants come from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A DA press release said that a recent study showed that 23 percent of all fatally injured drivers tested positive for drugs.
Categories: Citrus Heights, Elk Grove News, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Sacramento, Sacramento County, Traffic accidents
Roseville police have released the name of a pedestrian who died after being struck by a car on Douglas Boulevard over the weekend.
She was identified as Evelyn Marion Montoya, 80, of Roseville.
Police said that Montoya was walking across Douglas Boulevard in the middle of the block east of Sierra Gardens Drive about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. After crossing the westbound lanes, Montoya stepped off the center median onto eastbound Douglas Boulevard into the path of a car, according to a press release.
The driver, who had just turned onto eastbound Douglas from southbound Sierra Gardens Drive, did not see Montoya in time. She was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.
The collision is under investigation.
A man in a wheelchair was hit and killed by a motorist Sunday night in southern Sacramento County.
California Highway Patrol officer Michael Bradley reported that about 6 p.m. Sunday night a man in a wheelchair was crossing Power Inn Road north of Blackhawk Drive from the eastern edge of the street.
The wheelchair user was outside of a marked crosswalk, Bradley said, when a southbound vehicle traveling 35 mph hit the wheelchair.
The victim, who had no reflectors on his wheelchair, and was not seen by the driver. The man, whose name has not been released by the coroner's office, was thrown onto the roadway and died at the scene.
A man died from injuries when he rolled his vehicle on a levee road Saturday morning.
The man, identified by the Sacramento Coroner as David Michael Guzman, 22, of Stockton, was traveling eastbound on Brannan Island Road south of Highway 12 about 7:40 a.m. Saturday when his vehicle drifted off the roadway to the right.
Guzman tried to correct his direction of travel to the left, according to the California Highway Patrol.
That caused the vehicle's wheels to dig into the soft ground and overturn. It is unknown if Guzman was ejected, however, his body was found "a fair distance from the vehicle," according the CHP.
Two people suffered major injuries in a head-on collision this afternoon on Foresthill Road in Placer County.
A 79-year-old Foresthill man was driving a white Nissan pickup westbound on Foresthill Road west of Spring Garden Road about 2:05 p.m., and a 32-year-old Foresthill woman was traveling in the opposite direction in a silver Toyota Avalon. For some reason, the pickup crossed over the double yellow lines and collided head-on with the Toyota, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.
The drivers were the only occupants of the vehicles and both were taken by air ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center.
The California Highway Patrol is advising motorists of congestion and delays on eastbound Interstate 80 due to a collision east of Madison Avenue.
Only the left two lanes are open. Counter tiling in 4-inch pieces is scattered over the roadway and lanes will not reopen until the debris is cleared, according to the CHP website.
Motorists are advised to use other routes.
A toddler suffered a large gash to his forehead Wednesday in a Yolo County crash and had to be airlifted to the hospital.
Ryan Troung, 2, of Woodland suffered a 5-6 inch laceration to his head when the car in which he was riding was struck by a pickup truck on Highway 16. The pickup was pulling a trailer that was improperly loaded, causing the trailer to sway from side-to-side, the California Highway Patrol reported in a press release.
The CHP said that Placido Hernandez was driving a Ford pickup eastbound on Highway 16 just south of the Cache Creek Casino about 3 p.m. Wednesday when his trailer carrying cinder blocks began to fishtail. Hernandez was traveling about 35-40 mph, the CHP said.
The name of the man who was struck and killed while running on eastbound Interstate 80 in Loomis late Friday has been released by the Placer County Sheriff's department.
He has been identified as George Hanson, 23, of Sacramento.
Witnesses told authorities that a man had been running between cars on the freeway just east of Horseshoe Bar Road before he was struck by multiple vehicles.
Highway 70 north of Marysville was closed today after a suspected drunk driver knocked down telephone poles into the roadway.
The driver of a pickup truck ran into a telephone pole around 4 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. That crash pulled down 7 poles, shutting down Highway 70 from Laurellen Road to 6 miles west of the Yuba-Butte county line at Woodruff Lane.
Alternating one-way traffic is now being allowed past the site.
By Carlos Alcala
A man was struck and killed while running on eastbound Interestate 80 in Loomis late Friday, Placer County Sheriff's officials reported.
A call came in one minute before midnight, said Sgt. Kurt Walker.
Witnesses said a male had been running between cars on the freeway just east of Horseshoe Bar Road before he was struck by multiple vehicles.
The trauma was so severe that age and ethnicity are unknown, and the man's identity has not been positively determined, Walker said.
One eastbound lane of Interstate 80 has been reopened following a Fed-Ex truck's collision with a concrete wall and ensuing diesel spill, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The wreck happened in I-80's eastbound lanes two miles west of the Nevada state line and 15 miles east of Truckee, closing the freeway in both directions. All westbound lanes and one eastbound lane are now open. The one closed eastbound lane will remain closed for cleanup of more than 100 gallons of spilled diesel fuel and wall repair.
About 5:45 a.m., the Fed-Ex truck traveling eastbound struck the wall on the right side of the freeway, rupturing both fuel tanks, which were full at the time, the CHP said. The driver said he had swerved to avoid a deer in the road.
A 25-year-old woman who was struck by a vehicle Wednesday morning in Davis has died.
Megan Glanville was crossing Russell Boulevard on foot when she was hit by a pickup truck.
Glanville, who police said is from Chico but was living in Davis, suffered severe injuries including head trauma. She was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center, where she died of her injuries late this morning, according to a Davis Police Department news release.
Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, but they say heavy morning fog may have played a role. Investigators do not believe drugs or alcohol were involved.
Collisions that backed up traffic for several hours last night on Interstate 5 between Sacramento and Woodland resulted in injury to two motorists.
The California Highway Patrol said that a car and a mini van headed southbound on I-5 just north of County Road 4 about 5:45 p.m. collided.
The car then went through the grass center divider and into the path of a northbound big rig.
The car collided with the big rig. The truck then went through the center divider and into the southbound lanes, traveled off the roadway and came to rest, partially on a golf course.
Two males in the car that hit the truck, one 16 and the other 18 years old, both from Chico, suffered moderate injuries, according to a CHP report.
A 25-year-old woman is in critical condition at UC Davis Medical Center after she was struck by a pickup truck as she crossed a street in Davis this morning.
Megan Glanville was crossing Russell Boulevard on foot at the Lake Boulevard intersection when she was hit by an eastbound pickup driven by George Souza, 61, of Woodland, according to a Davis Police Department news release.
Glanville, who is from Chico but currently living in Davis, suffered severe injuries including head trauma, police said.
Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident but say heavy morning fog may have played a role. Investigators do not believe drugs or alcohol were involved.
A 26-year-old Carmichael woman has died after being struck by a vehicle while walking across Fulton Avenue on Monday night.
Rachel Willard was north of Larkspur Lane, crossing Fulton from east to west about 9 p.m., when she was hit by a Chevrolet Equinox driven by a 63-year-old Sacramento woman who was northbound on Fulton. The vehicle was in the fast lane, traveling about 35 mph, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.
Officials said Willard walked directly into the path of the Chevy, which struck her, throwing her to the ground. Willard was taken to UC Davis Medical Center where she died of her injuries.
The name of the driver whose pickup truck rolled over and landed on an Interstate 80 onramp near Orlando Avenue on Monday has been released by Roseville police.
He was identified as Thomas Jesse Clayton, 43, of Roseville.
Roseville police and fire crews responded about 8:45 p.m. to a single-vehicle rollover that began on Orlando Avenue near Auburn Boulevard. Clayton's pickup was traveling south on Orlando Avenue when his vehicle went off the roadway, through a fence and rolled onto the eastbound I-80 onramp, according to a Roseville Police Department news release. He was ejected from the pickup.
Clayton was taken by ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he died Tuesday morning.
The Davis Police Department is teaming with several local bicycle shops in a project to promote and enhance bicycle safety in the city.
Beginning Jan. 9 and continuing through the week, the Police Department will conduct a specialized bicycle safety and enforcement operation. Officers will patrol areas frequented by bicyclists and target traffic violations that lead to collisions with other bicyclists, vehicles and pedestrians.
Since Jan. 1 of this year, Davis police have responded to 54 collisions involving bicycles, according to a department news release. The bicyclist was injured in 93 percent of those collisions.
A 43-year-old Roseville man died today of injuries suffered Monday night when his pickup truck rolled over and landed on an Interstate 80 onramp near Orlando Avenue.
Roseville police and fire crews responded about 8:45 p.m. to a single-vehicle rollover that began on Orlando Avenue near Auburn Boulevard. The driver of the 1989 Chevrolet pickup was traveling south on Orlando Avenue when his vehicle went off the roadway, through a fence and rolled onto the eastbound I-80 onramp, according to a Roseville Police Department news release. The driver was ejected from the pickup.
The man was taken by ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he died this morning. His name has not been released pending notification of family.
A motorcyclist died from injuries suffered in a collision with another vehicle Sunday evening.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office identified the man as William E. Stratton, 65, of Sacramento.
Sacramento police said that Stratton was riding southbound on Raley Boulevard at Grace Avenue about 5 p.m. Sunday when the other vehicle turned in front of his motorcycle. No other details were available on Monday, police said.
By Carlos Alcala
A 22-year-old Olivehurst man was killed Friday, just before midnight, when he lost control of his car on Highway 99, a few miles north of the Sacramento-Sutter county line, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Witnesses told CHP the car was traveling north at a high rate of speed when it drifted onto the shoulder and then partially back onto the highway before overturning several times.
The driver, identified as Jesus Estrada-Vasquez, was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car.
The car came to rest on the driver, partly in a southbound lane of Highway 99.
Estrada-Vasquez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Alcohol and/or drugs are believed to be factors in this crash.
A driver with a blood alcohol level of 0.11 percent crashed into the back of a South Lake Tahoe motel today, rupturing a natural gas main, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department said.
The accident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. when a driver identified as Ronald MacKenzie, 26, of Colorado tried to turn from La Salle Avenue onto Cedar Avenue.
Because he did not slow from a speed estimated at 40 mph, the driver lost control and ran his Toyota pickup into the back side of the Ski Haus Lodge.
Arriving personnel could smell the gas leak from a block away and evacuated the area while the gas main was secured.
MacKenzie was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Photo caption: Crash photo/South Lake Tahoe Police Department
A middle school student on a motorized scooter was hit by a vehicle this morning in Folsom.
The boy was hit at the intersection of East Bidwell Street and Glenn Drive around 8:30 a.m. The youngster was pinned until Folsom firefighters could remove him from under the vehicle and take him to the hospital.
The cause of the collision is under investigation. The boy was wearing a helmet when he was hit.
Initially, his injuries were thought to be life-threatening, police said. However, his condition was later upgraded.
Early police reports indicated the boy was a bicycle. However, police now say he was on a motorized scooter.
The name of a woman who died Wednesday in a crash on the Garden Highway in Sacramento has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.
She has been identified as Patricia Ann Brooks, 71, of Sacramento.
Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit said Brooks was traveling eastbound on Garden Highway near the Northgate-Arden Garden connector about 11:45 a.m., when she swerved into the westbound lane, colliding with a westbound vehicle.
Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene. Brooks was the only person in the vehicle.
The three occupants of the other vehicle were transported to area hospitals. Pettit said the driver, a woman in her 30s, suffered serious injuries, and another woman, in her 20s, sustained moderate injuries. The third passenger, an infant, was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, Pettit said.
Two motorists, including an off-duty Sacramento Police Department sergeant, were credited with rescuing a woman from a vehicle that caught fire after it crashed in the Land Park area Tuesday night.
Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit said a 48-year-old woman was driving a Subaru station wagon north on Riverside Boulevard, approaching Sutterville Road, about 8:30 p.m., when the motorist behind her saw the vehicle drift across the southbound lanes. The Subaru crashed into the landscaping between Riverside Boulevard and the Interstate 5 retaining wall.
The motorist, who stopped to help, called for police and medical aid, reporting that the woman appeared to be unconscious and had her foot wedged against the accelerator pedal, causing the motor to race a full speed.
A 70-year-old woman died this morning in a crash that closed a portion of Garden Highway through the early afternoon.
Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit said the woman was traveling eastbound on Garden Highway near the Northgate-Arden Garden connector about 11:45 a.m., when she swerved into the westbound lane, colliding with a westbound vehicle.
The 70-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Pettit a medical condition may have contributed to the crash. The woman, whose name has not been released pending notification of family, was the only person in the vehicle.
The three occupants of the other vehicle were transported to area hospitals. Pettit said the driver, a woman in her 30s, suffered serious injuries, and another woman, in her 20s, sustained moderate injuries. The third passenger, an infant, was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, Pettit said.
The number of drunken driving deaths in 2010 dropped to 791 persons, compared to 950 in 2009.
DUI deaths increased each year from 1998 to 2005 but have decreased every year since then.
The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) credits a record number of DUI checkpoints conducted in 2010 as partially responsible for the big reduction in drunken driving deaths. The OTS allocated $16.8 million in federal funds to police agencies to conduct 2,553 DUI checkpoints in 2010.
That is up from $11.7 million allocated to 1,740 checkpoints in 2009.
Coroner's deputies have released the name of the woman hit and killed while walking her dog across South Land Park Drive last week.
Dolores Oliver, 92, was struck by a vehicle on Wednesday and later died from her injuries.
Oliver had just about crossed South Land Park Drive near 41st Avenue about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday when she was hit by a vehicle driven by a 28-year-old motorist.
A woman walking her dog across South Land Park Drive was struck by a vehicle on Wednesday and later died from her injuries.
The 92-year-old woman, who has not been identified pending notification of relatives, had just about crossed South Land Park Drive near 41st Avenue about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday when she was hit by a vehicle driven by a 28-year-old motorist.
The woman was taken to the hospital but later died from her injuries. Her dog was later caught and turned over to someone who knew the woman, police said.
The accident is under investigation. The motorist was not arrested.
A cab driver and four passengers were injured this evening in a collision at Howe Avenue and Feature Drive in the Arden Arcade area.
California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton said a Toyota Camry was southbound on Howe Avenue about 7:25 p.m. as a cab northbound on Howe turned left onto Feature Drive. Dutton said officers have not determined which vehicle ran a red light.
The passengers in the cab, two adults and two children, ages 10 and 11, were from Arcadia in Southern California. Dutton said one of the adults, a 40-year-old woman, was not wearing a seat belt and suffered cuts to her face. The other adult, 22, suffered a bloody nose. The children and the cab driver complained of pain. All were taken to UC Davis Medical Center with what appeared to be minor injuries, Dutton said.
The California Highway Patrol on Thursday will launch a 10-month campaign to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety in north Sacramento County.
As part of the grant-funded Traffic Safety Corridor project, officers will conduct a public awareness campaign in schools throughout the area as well as increased enforcement efforts to increase safety, according to a CHP news release.
"Pedestrian and bicyclist safety is about educating the motorists as much as it is about informing those who travel by foot or by bike," Capt. Tracy Sturges, commander of the CHP's North Sacramento Area office, said in a written statement.
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has released the name of a hit-and-run victim killed in midtown Monday night.
The man has been identified as Thomas Francis Dennis Ferguson, 33, of Sacramento.
Sacramento police need help in finding the driver of a vehicle that struck and killed Ferguson. Firefighters were the first to respond to 19th and S Streets about 9:40 p.m. Monday where Ferguson was found in the roadway.
The death of a man who was hit by a truck on a Sacramento freeway earlier this week is being investigated as a suicide.
About 8 a.m. Monday the pedestrian was hit by a large truck on northbound Interstate 5 just north of Garden Highway in the Natomas area.
The California Highway Patrol reports that the Sacramento Police Department believes the man committed suicide. The 61-year-old Elk Grove man stopped his car on the right shoulder, stepped out and jumped in front of a big rig, witnesses told officers.
A Yolo County Sheriff's Department deputy did not suffer injury when he rolled his car near Dunnigan early this morning, according to the CHP.
The California Highway Patrol said the deputy overturned his car into a ditch near County Road 7A and County Road 89. The deputy was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
A big rig has been uprighted on Interstate 5 and moved out of the way after it crashed onto its side near Twin Cities Road early this morning.
The northbound lanes of the freeway were closed for about an hour, but reopened at 7:08 a.m. The truck driver lost control of his truck about 2:30 a.m. and the trailer, carrying food products, ended up on its right side on the shoulder of I-5.
The driver suffered minor injuries.
Sacramento police need help in finding the driver of a pickup truck that struck and killed a pedestrian Monday night.
The 33-year-old man was walking at 19th and S streets when he was hit, police said. A citizen called in when the body was discovered on the ground about 9:40 p.m.
The hit-and-run motorist was driving a Chevrolet or GMC full-sized pickup, which could have front end damage, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357.
A pedestrian was hit and killed this morning on Interstate 5 in Sacramento when he reportedly walked into a traffic lane.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene about 8 a.m. on northbound I-5 just south of Interstate 80. He was struck by a semi truck and trailer rig, according to initial reports on a California Highway Patrol traffic incident page.
Three lanes were blocked as the Sacramento County Coroner arrived.
Traffic is slow coming into Sacramento this morning on Interstate 80 due to several crashes.
Three separate crashes on westbound I-80 between Greenback Lane and Madison Avenue occurred shortly after 7 a.m. and temporarily stopped all freeway traffic. Traffic congestion was backing up all the way into Roseville.
Tow trucks were dispatched to haul away vehicles on the right shoulder of the roadway and in the center divider, said California Highway Patrol Officer Rich Wetzel.
By Bee Metro Staff
One of three Grass Valley teens whose vehicle overturned on Interstate 80 east of Reno on Wednesday was killed in the accident, the Nevada Highway Patrol reported.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the 7:24 a.m. accident 19 miles east of Fernley, the NHP said.
Trooper Chuck Allen said a gold 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee, being driven by 18-year-old Kevin A. Mass, was headed west on the highway when the vehicle drifted toward the center median. The driver over-corrected, Allen said, sending the Jeep into a broadside skid before it rolled serveral times and came to stop.
Taylor S. Barney, 18, was thrown from the car and died at the scene, Allen said.
Mass and a second passenger, Max Talbott, 19, sustained minor injuries and were transported by ambulance to Renown Regional Medical Center.
No other vehicles were invovled in the crash and the accident is under investigation.
A mystery man who could not speak because of major injuries suffered when he was hit by car on Monday has recovered enough to provide hospital caregivers with his name and age.
The man, Richard Rosco, 43, of Sacramento, was walking from the east side of Watt Avenue near American River Drive about 11 p.m. Monday when he was struck by a car traveling at about 45 mph. The driver, who was not injured, was not at fault, authorities say.
Rosco walked directly into the path of the car and was thrown onto the windshield, before falling to the ground, according to the CHP. He was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center with skull fractures, broken legs and brain swelling.
Rosco initially was not able to speak and carried no identification.
The California Highway Patrol put out a plea Tuesday asking for the public's help in identifying the injured man.
The CHP needs help identifying a mystery man who cannot speak because of major injuries suffered when he was hit by car on Monday.
The red-haired man was walking from the east side of Watt Avenue near American River Drive about 11 p.m. Monday when he was struck by a car traveling at about 45 mph. The driver, who was not injured, was not at fault, authorities say.
The man walked directly into the path of the car and was thrown onto the windshield, before falling to the ground. He was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center with skull fractures, broken legs and brain swelling.
Police say they suspect alcohol played a role Sunday night when an SUV ran into a mobile home in Woodland.
The crash occurred about 10 p.m. when the sport utility vehicle struck the mobile home in the 900 block of Bourn Drive. The SUV also appeared to have hit the south sound wall along East Gum Avenue.
Nobody inside the home was hurt. However, the SUV's driver and her passenger suffered cuts and bruises.
The accident is under investigation.
A woman died in a two-vehicle crash last night in the Robla area.
Sacramento police said that the collision occurred at Dry Creek Road and Pinedale Avenue about 10:30 p.m. Two people in each car suffered injuries, including a young woman who later died, according to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.
Coroner's deputies identified her as Olga Kuznetsova, 20, of Sacramento.
One vehicle was southbound on Dry Creek Road and another traveling northbound. The collision occurred when the northbound vehicle, in which Kuznetsova was a passenger, made a left turn in front of the southbound vehicle, police said.
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a motorcycle last night on Norwood Avenue in Sacramento.
Sacramento police said that they were called about 6 p.m. Wednesday to the scene of the crash just north of the Interstate 80 overpass. Police said the man in his 40s was attempting to cross Norwood Avenue between the Interstate 80 overpass and Jessie Avenue.
He was struck while walking in a northbound lane of Norwood by a man driving a motorcycle. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The accident is under investigation. Police said the motorcyclist suffered mild to moderate injuries.
The Sacramento County Coroner's Department has released the name of a man hit and killed this morning on the Capital City freeway.
He was identifed as Richard Hicks, 29, of Elk Grove.
The California Highway Patrol said he crashed his car alongside the Capital City freeway and then ventured into the traffic lanes where he was struck and killed by an unmarked Ford Crown Victoria driven by a Sacramento police officer.
The incident occurred about 2 a.m. when Hicks, driving a Ford Mustang traveling eastbound between Arden Way and El Camino Avenue, lost control of his car and spun out, hitting the fence along the right shoulder.
The man got out of his car and was standing in a freeway lane when he was hit by the Sacramento police officer's car. The officer, who had been traveling at about 65 mph, saw Hicks walking within the lanes and swerved to the right to avoid a collision but Hicks moved into the vehicle's path.
The officer was not injured.
A woman who died following a Monday morning collision on Interstate 5 in Sacramento has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Carol Marie Kennon, 65, of Elk Grove.
California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton said Kennon was a passenger in a red Corvette that was southbound in the far left lane of I-5 near Garden Highway about 9:45 a.m. A big rig truck and another passenger vehicle were traveling in lanes to the right of the Corvette, when, witnesses said, the Corvette began weaving and the driver lost control.
The Corvette traveled into the adjoining lane, where it was broadsided on the passenger side by the big rig, then clipped by the other passenger vehicle. All three vehicles went out of control and traveled off the freeway onto the Garden Highway offramp, Dutton said.
A wreck on Highway 99 on Wednesday appears to have been caused by a driver misjudging the approach of an oncoming vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The accident occurred just before the commute hour between Yuba City and Sacramento and slowed traffic about 15 miles north of Sacramento.
A driver of a pickup traveling southbound on Highway 99 about 3:30 p.m. began a left turn to eastbound Sankey Road in front of a van headed northbound on Highway 99.
The CHP said they have arrested the driver of a big rig whose truck overturned in Colusa County, killing a passenger.
The California Highway Patrol said Fernando Martinez, 39, of Williams, Colusa County, driving northbound Sunday night on old Highway 99W south of Arbuckle towing two bottom dump grain trailers when his truck drifted onto the right shoulder.
The truck rolled, ejecting passenger Luis Rodriguez, 39, of College City, Colusa County. He was flown to the hospital where died from his injuries.
A man sought by Auburn police for allegedly selling a borrowed car on Craigslist has been located.
Investigators identified Jeffery Cerniglia, 29, as the suspect and discovered that he was already in Placer County Jail on unrelated charges, according to an Auburn Police Department news release.
Police said a 55-year-old woman on Oct. 6 loaned her car to an acquaintance who said his name was Jeff Keller, or Kellar.
Sacramento police said a man died after being hit twice by a vehicle driven by the same motorist over the weekend.
Tory Small, 38, of Sacramento was pronounced dead early Saturday morning from injuries suffered when he was hit at Main Avenue and Kelton Way near Norwood Avenue. He was struck while crossing the intersection by a driver who then drove away, police said.
Police said the driver then returned to the scene and hit Small again. The incident is under investigation.
The driver, Aseng Saechao, 25, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter while intoxicated and hit and run.
A Rancho Cordova teen probably fell asleep while driving on Interstate 80 in Davis, causing her to twice careen wildly across the freeway and into a tree.
The California Highway Patrol is asking anyone who might have witnessed the accident that caused major injuries to Nicole Francisco, 18, about 5 a.m. Saturday morning to contact the CHP's Woodland office.
The CHP said in a press release that Francisco was driving eastbound on I-80 west of Mace Boulevard at about 75 mph in the far right hand lane when for unknown reasons her car drifted across all lanes of traffic onto the dirt center median. Francisco's car then swerved back across I-80 onto the dirt shoulder where it hit a big tree and a fence.
Categories: Davis, Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County, Traffic accidents, Yolo County
Two men who died in motor vehicle accidents Friday afternoon have been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.
The Coroner's death register said George E. Olsson, 80, was the victim of a Wilton crash at 3:45 p.m.
Sheriff's officials reported Friday that Olsson was killed when a car driven by his wife, identified as Virginia Olsson, went into a ditch and struck a tree.
An 81-year-old Wilton man died this afternoon in a single-vehicle crash on Green Road east of Sunflower Road.
The accident occurred about 2:20 p.m. California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said the man's wife, also 81, was driving a 2006 Chrysler Sebring. She told officers she thinks she dozed off. The car ran into a ditch and hit a tree.
Both were transported to Kaiser South Medical Center, where the husband was pronounced dead. His name has not been released.
Bradley said the couple are 50-year residents of the Wilton area.
A woman was killed when, for unexplained reasons, she got out of a car traveling in the fast lane of the Capital City Freeway Wednesday night.
Just before 10 p.m., the Toyota was in the left lane of northbound Capital City Freeway near Cal Expo, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Rich Wetzel.
The woman, seated in the right front passenger seat, opened the door and jumped out, according to passengers, Wetzel said.
A Yuba City man died when his car went off Highway 99 and into an irrigation ditch late Tuesday, California Highway Patrol officials reported.
Daniel C. Loehrer, 56, of Yuba City, was driving southbound on the highway, south of Yuba City, when his Acura went off the road for unknown reasons, according to the CHP accident report.
The car went into the ditch, overturned and slid on its roof in about a foot of water.
Fire personnel had to use cutting tools to get to Loehrer, who was not wearing a seat belt, according to the report.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A dispute over payment for a business transaction led to a chase and collisions that closed a portion of southbound Interstate 5 for about four hours early Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
At 2:53 a.m., the CHP's Woodland-area office received a report of a traffic collision on southbound I-5 just south of County Road 102 involving a 2011 Nissan Juke and a 2012 Ford Focus.
Following an investigation, CHP officers determined that the collision was the culmination of a dispute that began when a 30-year-old Stockton man answered and online escort advertisement posted by Martin Andrade, 21, of Sacramento. The Stockton man drove to Andrade's residence, where the business transaction took place. Leaving an undisclosed amount of money, the Stockton man then left the residence.
Southbound Interstate 5 has reopened to traffic in Woodland after a hit-and-run collision forced its closure, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Traffic was being diverted at Main Street and County Road 102 this morning because of a collision south of County Road 102.
It reopened shortly before 7 a.m.
The collision occurred shortly before 3 a.m. and involved three vehicles, according to the CHP. Nobody was injured.
The California Highway Patrol seeks the public's help in the investigation of a Monday night collision on Capital City Freeway in which a motorcyclist died.
Sequoia Jones (pictured), the registered owner and suspected driver of a white Volkswagen Beetle that fled the scene of the crash, was arrested Wednesday by the CHP. Authorities are seeking information regarding Jones' whereabouts between 3 and 8:50 p.m. Monday.
Monday's collision occurred about 8:50 p.m., as Robert Wilson, 64, of North Highlands was riding a blue 2003 Suzuki GZ 250 motorcycle northbound on Capital City Freeway, north of El Camino Avenue, traveling about 65 mph. A Volkswagen Beetle, also northbound, was negotiating through traffic, when the left front of the Volkswagen struck the right side of the motorcycle, causing Wilson to be ejected onto the roadway. He subsequently was struck by a red 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse.
A 7-year-old boy who died this afternoon when he was struck by a car as he was crossing Howe Avenue in Arden Arcade has been identified by the California Highway Patrol as Tevon Webb.
The accident occurred about 1:20 p.m. A 37-year-old Sacramento woman was driving a 2002 BMW northbound on Howe Avenue, just north of Burney Way, traveling about 40 mph in the left lane, according to a CHP news release.
A 22-year-old Sacramento woman was arrested today in connection with a fatal motorcycle crash that occurred Monday night on the northbound Capital City Freeway.
Robert Wilson, 64, of North Highlands died after he was ejected from his motorcycle when it was struck on the right side by a Volkswagen Beetle that was negotiating through traffic. Wilson was thrown into the roadway where he was hit by a Mitsubishi Eclipse.
The driver of the Mitsubishi stopped and remained at the scene. The driver of the Volkswagen initially stopped, but fled in the vehicle moments later, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The California Highway Patrol seeks information from anyone who witnessed a fatal single-vehicle crash Friday afternoon on Fair Oaks Boulevard.
Robert Jacobs, 32, of Roseville was driving a 1998 Chevy Cavalier westbound on Fair Oaks Boulevard west of Los Molinos Way, in Arden Arcade, about 2:27 p.m. He was traveling about 40 mph, and for unknown reasons, his vehicle drifted onto the right shoulder and into a drainage ditch, according to a CHP news release. The impact caused the vehicle to become airborne and overturn.
The Cavalier struck a cinder block mailbox, then landed on its roof. Although Jacobs was wearing a seat belt, he sustained fatal injuries.
The name of a motorcyclist who died after a crash Monday evening on the Capital City Freeway has been released.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office identified the motorcyclist as Robert Preston Wilson, 64, of North Highlands.
By Whitney Mountain
wmountain@sacbee.com
A motorcyclist was killed Monday evening on Capitol City Freeway after a car hit the bike, ejecting the cyclist. The victim was then struck by another car.
A witness told the California Highway Patrol that a late model white Volkswagen Beetle was weaving through traffic at about 8:50 p.m. when it pulled between the witness's car and the motorcyclist, striking him.
After the cyclist was thrown, a Mitsubishi Eclipse struck his body, which had landed in the center lane of the three-lane highway just north of El Camino Real, said CHP spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton.
By Whitney Mountain
A motorcyclist was killed Monday evening on Capitol City Freeway after a car hit the bike, ejecting the cyclist. The victim was then struck by another car.
A witness told the California Highway Patrol that a late model white Volkswagen Beetle was weaving through traffic at about 8:50 p.m. when it pulled between the witness's car and the motorcyclist, striking him.
After the cyclist was thrown, a Mitsubishi Eclipse struck his body, which had landed in the center lane of the three-lane highway just north of El Camino Real, said CHP spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton.
Both cars pulled over, but the Beetle drove away before officers arrived on-scene, said Dutton.
Officers are trying to locate the driver of the Beetle, which sustained mild to moderate damage during the accident.
Anyone with information is asked to call the California Highway Patrol Dispatch after-hours number at 916-861-1300 or the regular-hours number at 916-338-6710.
By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire and California Highway Patrol officials are reporting a major accident with injuries affecting traffic on Highway 50 at Zinfandel Road.
The bulletins refer to as many as five participants involved, with at least one overturned vehicle.
A 17-year-old boy from Meadow Vista has been arrested following a fatal crash near Applegate in Placer County on Thursday night.
The crash occurred about 7:30 p.m. The teenager was driving a 1997 Subaru Outback on Applegate Road north of Boole Road when he failed to negotiate a curve and hit a tree, fatally injuring three of his four passengers, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.
Lukas Warren, 21, and Daniel Silverman, 31, both of Meadow Vista, were pronounced dead at the scene. A 21-year-old man from Auburn was ejected from the vehicle and was airlifted to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries. His name has not been released pending notification of family members.
The name of a teen who died from injuries suffered in a traffic accident last week has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.
He was identified as Alejandro Emmanuel Medina, 19, of West Sacramento.
Medina died at 4 p.m. Wednesday, more than a week after suffering major injury after his vehicle was involved in a crash on northbound Interstate 5 while taking the transition to Highway 50 in Sacramento. The California Highway Patrol said Medina's vehicle spun out of control Oct. 10 on wet pavement and hit construction equipment parked on the freeway shoulder.
All lanes are open but traffic is still slow on Interstate 80 to the San Francisco Bay area from Sacramento more than six hours after an early morning crash involving a chicken-hauling big rig.
The 2 a.m. crash occurred on westbound I-80 just west of Lagoon Valley Road between Vacaville and Fairfield. The center divider was opened shortly before 3 a.m. to let traffic slowly pass as chickens were picked up from the roadway.
An estimated 5,000 crated, live chickens were on the truck but only a small portion of the hens fell onto the roadway.
The name of a pedestrian who was hit and killed by a car in the south area was released today by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.
She was identified by coroner's deputies as Guangmei Zhong, 56, of Sacramento.
The California Highway Patrol got a call at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday regarding a woman who had been hit while crossing Power Inn Road north of Gerber Road at 68th Avenue.
The car that hit Zhong stopped after the accident, the CHP said.
A 27-year-old bicyclist was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries following a collision with a vehicle at Bradshaw and Gore roads in Rancho Cordova late this afternoon.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department responded about 4:50 p.m. to a report of a collision involving a car and a bicycle. Witnesses told deputies that the motorist was traveling northbound on Bradshaw in the far right lane and was approaching Gore Road, on a green light, when the bicyclist, traveling westbound on Gore Road, entered the intersection against a red light, said sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.
He said the driver was unable to avoid the bicyclist, who was struck by the front of the car and then hit the windshield, before striking the pavement. Ramos said the bicyclist suffered significant injuries, including head trauma. He said investigators found no sign of a helmet at the scene and believe the bicyclist was not wearing one.
A pedestrian was hit and killed by a car in the South area this morning.
The California Highway Patrol got a call at about 6:30 a.m. regarding a woman who had been hit while crossing Power Inn Road north of Gerber Road at 68th Avenue.
Her body was still in a northbound lane at 7:45 a.m. as authorities waited for the Sacramento County Coroner to arrive. The car that hit the woman stopped after the accident, the CHP said.
CHP officers with a suspected drunken driver in the back seat of their patrol car were crashed into by another motorist suspected to be under the influence.
Neither officer was injured in the early morning collision in South Sacramento. Both suspects were booked.
The incident began about 2:25 a.m. when the squad car was traveling southbound on Stockton Boulevard near Lemon Hill Avenue. A car driven by Gustavo Guerrero, 31, traveling in the opposite direction, turned in front of the officers and collided.
By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com
A 19-year-old Chico woman was killed Friday when the van she was driving left the roadway near Highway 99 in Chico and overturned, California Highway Patrol officials reported.
The woman, whose name has not been released, was driving on Durham-Pentz Road when, for unknown reasons, her van drifted over into oncoming traffic lanes.
A 78-year-old West Sacramento woman has been sentenced to a year in county jail for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Yolo County Superior Court Judge Timothy Fall also sentenced Donna Marie McClure to five years felony probation and ordered her to pay more than $26,000 in restitution to the victim's family, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.
A Yolo County jury on Aug. 12 found McClure guilty in the death of Jewell Mattos, who was struck by McClure's vehicle in the parking lot of a West Sacramento Raley's store Oct. 1, 2009.
The California Highway Patrol said today that the two PG&E workers who drowned when their utility truck plummeted into a Plumas County lake are from Chico.
Ryan Patrick Miles, 29, and Aaron Joseph Weiss, 31, drowned in Rock Creek Reservoir, between Paradise and Lake Almanor, about 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Miles was the driver of the blue Ford-550 truck that sank in 25 feet of water.
Sacramento police said a man was struck and killed by a vehicle last night on Arden Way.
The man was hit while crossing the street shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday in the 800 block of Arden Way in North Sacramento by a van traveling eastbound. The name of the man was not released, pending identification of relatives.
A car was slammed into by a passenger train last night east of Davis after the suspected drunk driver left the disabled vehicle on the tracks, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Alexius Russell, 29, of Sacramento was driving her Honda Civic westbound on Country Road 32a west of County Road 105a about 7:50 p.m. when she drove her car off the road and onto the tracks because she had been drinking, according to a CHP press release.
She got out of her car and called for help, but while waiting for assistance, a westbound AMTRAK train hit the Honda. The car caught fire.
About 20 passengers were aboard the train, but no injuries were reported. Russell was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, the CHP.
Minor injuries were reported to students on a school bus that was tipped on its side after a collision this morning with a farming tractor outside Dixon.
The crash occurred about 7:30 a.m. to the east of Dixon at Hackman Road and Runge Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The driver of the bus reportedly suffered moderate injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol. Only a handful of students were aboard.
One lane will remain closed until 3 p.m. after a fiery crash involving two big rigs on Interstate 80 about halfway between Auburn and Truckee.
Traffic now is getting by the scene of the crash that involved burning hay bales. Most of the mess has been cleaned up, but Caltrans will need to keep the right lane closed until until mid-afternoon to fix a guardrail.
The crash was reported about 5 a.m. to the California Highway Patrol. The caller said a big rig had jacknifed between Crystal Springs Road and Alta on I-80.
The driver involved in an alleged street racing crash in El Dorado County in which his three passengers were killed has pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter.
Mark Steven Barrerra, 22, of Rocklin today pleaded no contest in Placerville to three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, said Joe Alexander, El Dorado County deputy district attorney.
Barrera was accused of participating in a form of street racing in November 2009, when he lost control of his friend's car and crashed into a tree on Salmon Falls Road.
A 10-year-old boy suffered major injuries this afternoon when he was run over by a FedEx delivery truck as he was leaving a south Sacramento elementary school.
California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said that about 1:30 p.m., a FedEx truck was northbound on Caymus Drive in front of Beitzel Elementary School. Classes had just been dismissed, and Bradley said it appeared a car may have been blocking a portion of the crosswalk.
As the FedEx truck turned left onto westbound Chantal Way, he said, the boy ran onto the crosswalk. He ran into the truck and was knocked to the ground, then was run over by the truck's rear tires.
The southbound lanes of Watt Avenue at Hurley Way are closed for an indefinite period so that a power pole can be replaced.
About 5 a.m. it was reported that a car hit a power pole at Watt Avenue and Ardenridge Drive, prompting the closure at Hurley Way until Sacramento Municipal Utitlity District crews can fix the problem.
California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Rich Wetzel said that crews will have to replace the pole. The lanes are closed as a precaution.
A Sacramento man was shot at a south Sacramento gas station Thursday evening after a reported fender-bender on Highway 99, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.
Department personnel received a call at 6:01 p.m. saying that a man had been shot in the leg at a Chevron gas station at Stockton Boulevard and Elsie Avenue.
Police say that the victim's girlfriend, a passenger in the victim's vehicle, said they had pulled off of the freeway and into the gas station to exchange information with the driver of a green van.
The driver of the van allegedly got out of the car, shot the victim in the leg and fled in his vehicle. The victim is being treated at Kaiser South Medical Center.
Deputy Jason Ramos said that there are conflicting stories about the suspect's getaway. Other witnesses said the suspect fled on foot.
The suspect is described as a heavyset black man wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts.
The California Highway Patrol reports that a two-year, federally funded program to increase motorists' awareness of motorcyclists on California roadways appears to have paid off with a decline in the number of collisions involving motorcycles.
Preliminary figures for 2010 from the CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records system show that the number of people killed in motorcycle-involved collisions last year was down 9 percent from the previous year, according to a CHP news release. The number of people injured in motorcycle-involved collisions appears to be down 8.5 percent.
Throughout the campaign, the CHP has emphasized the "Share the Road" message. To help convey that message to the motoring public, officials said, the CHP held several presentations and conducted several highly publicized motorcycle safety enforcement operations.
A woman who died early this morning in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 in Davis has been identified by the Yolo County Coroner's Office as Heather Sieren, 43, of Sonoma.
Chief Deputy Coroner Robert LaBrash said the cause of death has not been determined pending an autopsy. Excessive speed and alcohol are suspected causes of the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP said that about 12:20 a.m., a car speeding in a reckless manner eastbound on I-80 east of Richards Boulevard attempted to change lanes but struck the center divider. The driver then lost control, traveled back across three lanes of traffic and onto the shoulder of the road. At that point, the vehicle overturned and the roof of the 2004 Subaru struck a tree.
Sieren died at the scene of the crash. The CHP reported that she did not appear to be wearing a seatbelt.
Bee staff writer Cathy Locke contributed to this report.
By Ed Fletcher and Bee Metro Staff
efletcher@sacbee.com
Highway 65 reopened about 6:30 p.m. after a semi truck filled with grocery products overturned in Lincoln early this afternoon. The cleanup took hours and blocked traffic in both directions.
City officials said the cleanup took longer than anticipated because grocery items had to be manually unloaded to upright the truck.
The highway was closed during afternoon commute hours and motorists were advised to avoid the area.
During the closure, northbound traffic was required to exit Highway 65 at Twelve Bridges Drive and southbound traffic exited at Sterling Parkway.
"We have messy traffic here for a while," Jill Thompson, a spokeswoman for the city, said shortly after the spill.
Bee staff writers Cathy Locke and Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report.
PHOTO: Drivers were advised to avoid Highway 65 through Lincoln after a semi-truck overturned Monday, September 26, 2011. Special to Sacbee.com: Jill Thompson, Public Information Officer, City of Lincoln
By Bill Lindelof and Cathy Locke
blindelof@sacbee.com
A man who died in a crash Sunday night after leading California Highway Patrol officers on a high-speed chase in the Elk Grove area has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Jose Roberto Sanchez, 35, of Sacramento.
Sanchez died at 9:20 p.m. when the Toyota Tundra pickup he was driving southbound on Grant Line Road collided nearly head-on with a Ford pickup just south of Bond Road. The driver of the Ford pickup was hospitalized with major injuries.
CHP spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said the pursuit began about 9:10 p.m. Sunday when a man, later identified as Sanchez, was spotted by a paramedic team driving the Toyota southbound near 47th Avenue on Highway 99. The ambulance crew reported that the truck was weaving and could be driven by a drunken driver, Bradley said.
Five people were injured after two vehicles collided Tuesday morning at a Foothill Farms intersection.
According to a California Highway Patrol news release, a 17-year-old boy and his 16-year-old sister were in a Jeep Cherokee heading westbound on Elkhorn Boulevard at 7:15 a.m. when the young man said he was unable to see because of the sun's glare and followed a car in front of him through the Sprig Drive intersection.
A 22-year-old Sacramento woman was driving southbound on Sprig Drive with her brother, 18, who was in the passenger seat and sister, 14, who was sitting behind the passenger seat when the Jeep collided with the right side of their Mitsubishi sedan.
After Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District personnel removed them from the sedan, the woman and her brother were taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Hospital. She suffered major injuries and her brother is listed in critical condition. Their sister was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, also with major injuries.
The Cherokee driver and his sister were taken to Sutter Roseville hospital with minor injuries.
The CHP is investigating the cause of the collision.
Two Roseville brothers have been sentenced in federal court for downloading child porn.
Sam I. Coburn, 34, and Matthew J. Coburn, 27, were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to five years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. They will also be required to register as sex offenders.
The brothers pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography on June 14.
A motorist was severely injured early today in a single-car crash after his Honda hit a raised center median on East Gibson Road in Woodland and then struck a large oak tree before crossing traffic lanes to stop on a sidewalk, police said.
Alcohol may have played a role in the crash, which occurred shortly before 2 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of East Gibson between Matmor Road and Washington Drive, Woodland Police spokesman Sgt. Don Beal reported. East Gibson Road was closed for more than two hours during the subsequent the investigation.
The identity of the driver was not immediately available. Beal said the motorist was unconscious and bleeding and had what appeared to be life-threatening injuries. He was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center.
By Cathy Locke and Mark Glover
clocke@sacbee.com
A 22-year-old Clarksburg man drowned after the car he was driving went off the road and overturned in a drainage ditch southeast of Clarksburg.
Officer Jon Kitamura of the California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred sometime between 8 p.m. Thursday and 6:30 this morning.
The driver, whose name has not been released, left his home about 8 p.m. and when he hadn't returned this morning to accompany a relative to work, family members began searching for him. They discovered a 1997 Volvo on its roof in a water-filled ditch off Z Line Road, Kitamura said. He said the driver was unable to escape from the vehicle after it overturned.
Robert LaBrash, Yolo County chief deputy coroner, said the cause of death was drowning.
A Roseville man was identified as the motorcyclist who crashed after a police chase last night.
The California Highway Patrol said that Erick Von Schelske, 42, died at the scene on Stanford Ranch Road when his motorcycle hit a tree.
A CHP press release said that at about 10 p.m. Wednesday night an oficer saw a motorcyclist traveling at a high rate of speed on Galleria Boulevard. The officer tried to pull him over, but the motorcyclist sped away, according to the CHP.
Schelske lost control and his motorcycle struck a tree in the center divider of Stanford Ranch Road, south of Cobblestone Drive, in Rocklin. Stanford Ranch Road was closed for about 5 hours for the crash investigation.
A pedestrian suffered major injuries when he was struck by a car last night on Pleasant Grove Road just north of Rio Linda.
Ernesto Beltran, 64, of Pleasant Grove, was reported in critical condition last night with major injuries to his head and chest, according to a California Highway Patrol press release.
Beltran was trying to cross Pleasant Grove Road just south of Sankey Road when he was struck by a car driven by a 49-year-old motorist from Antelope at about 5:45 p.m. The roadway was closed for about 40 minutes while medical workers stabilized Beltran's condition before taking him to the hospital.
Any witnesses to the crash are asked to contact the CHP at (530) 674-5141. Alcohol was not a factor, the CHP said.
A pedestrian who died early Tuesday morning after he was struck by at least one vehicle on Madison Avenue has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as James Richard Hendrickson, 27, of Fair Oaks.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Hendrickson was walking at Madison Avenue and Valonia Street in Fair Oaks about 3:30 a.m. when he was struck. He died at the scene after being hit by a two-door Saturn and perhaps another vehicle.
The CHP is investigation the accident.
Three men were taken into custody last night on suspicion of stealing a chain from the neck of an Elk Grove man and leading police on a chase.
Booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of robbery were Sarom Kuy, 23, Nary Chap, 27, and Kally Sam, 22, all of Sacramento.
Police said the incident began about 10:30 p.m. when a man in his driveway in the 9500 block of Surritt Way had a gold chain ripped from around his neck. One of the two men who confronted him had a gun.
Categories: Elk Grove News, Property Crime, Sacramento County, Traffic accidents
A pedestrian died when hit by at least one vehicle this morning in Fair Oaks.
The man was walking at Madison Avenue and Valonia Street about 3:30 a.m. when he was struck. He died at the scene after being hit by a two-door Saturn automobile and perhaps one other vehicle.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. The name of the pedestrian was withheld pending notification of family.
By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com
A Sacramento Superior Court jury today rejected a mother's claim that the city was liable for the death of her daughter in an early-morning collision with a fire truck three years ago.
The panel found that the driver of the truck was negligent in the April 12, 2008, crash that killed Kirsten Helene Ross, 20. The jurors did not identify what the negligence was, but it ruled that it was not a substantial factor in the collision that also killed a 20-year-old passenger in Ross' car, Nancy Concepcion Gonzalez.
Senior Deputy City Attorney Chance L. Trimm said the city had previously settled with Gonzalez' family for $300,000.
Trimm said the city did not offer to settle the suit filed by Ross. Trimm's court papers said Ross had a blood-alcohol level of 0.125 percent in a sample taken about 20 minutes after the 2:03 a.m. accident downtown at 9th and L streets.
An 87-year-old man who died at a hospital Friday after being involved in a collision in Citrus Heights has been identified by Sacramento County coroner's deputies.
Philo Glen Toops of Citrus Heights was a passenger in a car that crashed at the intersection of Antelope Road and Mariposa Avenue about 7:30 a.m. A coroner's office website lists the cause of his death as undetermined.
Police said the car in which he was riding was struck at the intersection by a pickup truck. Police said one of the drivers may have run the red signal light.
The passenger in a car involved in a wreck this morning in Citrus Heights has died.
The 87-year-old man died at a hospital from injuries suffered in a collision at the intersection of Antelope Road and Mariposa Avenue about 7:30 a.m. today.
Police said the car in which he was riding was struck at the intersection by a pickup truck. Police said one of the drivers may have run the red signal light.
The name of a man who died after being hit by a recreational vehicle Monday on Highway 65 has been released by the Placer County Sheriff's Department.
He was identified as Jay Roberson, 46, of Sacramento.
Details of how Roberson ended up in the traffic lanes of Highway 65 near Sunset Boulevard in Rocklin were not available.
Southbound traffic was temporarily halted while the body was removed from beneath the RV. Roberson's vehicle was found with its hood up along the side of the road.
A young woman died Monday night when her car left the road for unknown reasons and hit a tree south of Folsom.
Georgina R. Kovach, 18, of Pioneer, Amador County, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at Scott and White Rock roads.
The California Highway Patrol responded to the scene of the accident at 11:30 p.m. Monday. A CHP investigation determined that Kovach was traveling northbound on Scott Road approaching White Rock Road when she lost control of her car.
The name of a woman who was found dead after her vehicle hit a tree Monday in the Natomas area has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.
The vehicle of Larisa Vasilievno Zubenko, 54, of Sacramento struck a tree while traveling north on Northborough Drive, just north of Club Center Drive.
Police said the initial coroner's inquiry suggested that a medical problem may have occurred prior to the crash. Police said the injuries didn't appear to be "obvious fatal injuries."
A coroner's website today lists her death as "undetermined."
A Sacramento man was arrested in Woodland early Saturday morning after allegedly running his car into a power pole, rolling his vehicle, and knocking power out of a portion of Woodland.
Ralph Soto, 69, was reportedly driving under the influence when he ran in to the power pole at County Road 98 and W. Beamer Street at around 1:19 a.m, injuring a 29-year-old passenger.
PG&E arrived at the scene to handle the live wires that were down, and public works crewsclosed County Road 98 at west Kentucky Avenue and west Main Street to all but emergency vehicles. Roads were closed for about seven hours.
The passenger was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.
Automobile travel is expected to be up slightly this Labor Day weekend -- and the California Highway Patrol will be ready to pull over any drunken drivers.
The American Automobile Association estimates that 27.3 million people plan to travel on the nation's roadways, a 0.5 percent increase from last year. Overall, travel is expected to dip due in part to higher air fare costs.
Categories: Amador County, DUI, El Dorado County, Placer County, Sacramento, Sacramento County, Sutter County, Traffic accidents, Yolo County, Yuba County
The California Highway Patrol is warning motorists of congestion and delays on eastbound and westbound Highway 50 in the area of Harbor Boulevard in West Sacramento because of a fatal accident.
According to the CHP website, a crash occurred about 8:55 p.m.
One vehicle overturned and the driver of that vehicle tried to run from an officer. The man reportedly jumped over the center divider and was struck by a vehicle.
The CHP's communications center reported that officers were still on scene investigating the crash and no additional information was immediately available as of late Thursday night.
The Capital City Freeway has reopened after being closed for about 30 minutes following a single-vehicle accident north of the El Camino Avenue exit.
Officer Lizz Dutton of the California Highway Patrol said a 39-year-old driver from Sacramento was southbound on the freeway, traveling in the fast lane, when his right rear tire blew out. He lost control of the vehicle and it rolled over several times.
A woman and two children were also in the vehicle.
Dutton said the driver and the female passenger were taken to UC Davis Medical Center with minor injuries. The children were not injured.
The freeway was blocked with fire and medical personnel and equipment, but traffic was reported flowing again about 7 p.m.
Sacramento's drivers are bad -- and Elk Grove motorists are only a little better, according to an insurance company study.
The Allstate America's Best Drivers report lists Fort Collins, Colo., the safest place to get into a car. The average driver in Fort Collins will experience an auto crash every 14 years, which is 28.6 percent less likely than the national average of 10 years.
A man police said allegedly drove about 100 mph through a school zone in Foothill Farms might awake with a headache today after he slammed his head into the protective plastic screen of a squad car.
Shawn Hawkins, 31, was arrested on suspicion of felony reckless evading of police, auto theft, vandalism, resisting arrest and outstanding warrants.
Around 2:30 p.m., a Twin Rivers Police Department officer on routine patrol near Foothill High School, 5000 McCloud Drive, observed a black Hyundai traveling about 100 mph through the school zone at Hillsdale Boulevard and Robert Frost Way, said police department spokesman Officer William Cho.
A 26-year-old man has pleaded no contest to a hit-and-run killing on Greenback Lane and Garfield Avenue that took place last year, according to Sacramento Superior Court records.
Glen Brian Henderson entered the plea Friday in Sacramento Superior Court.
Henderson's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 7.
Henderson was arrested for the Dec. 27 killing of Foothill Farms resident Yiriy Kokhanyy, 42.
Authorities also took Henderson's mother, Donna Lynn Fraser, into custody for being an accessory. Fraser, 59, pleaded no contest on Jan. 5 and was sentenced to three years probation and 90 days on the sheriff's work program.
Two Sacramento residents were severely injured in a three-car collision Sunday afternoon in Davis.
Police responded to a report of a crash at the intersection of B Street and Russell Boulevard at 2:35 p.m. Based on an initial investigation, police said they determined that a Toyota Sienna minivan, driven by Bailey Yee, 22, of Davis, went into the right-turn lane, traveled through a stop sign and then directly into the north and southbound traffic lanes of B Street. The Sienna collided with a Toyota Rav4, which was traveling northbound on B Street.
The Rav4, driven by Lue Moua, 22, of Sacramento, overturned on impact and Moua and his female passenger, Jih Lee, 23, also of Sacramento, were severely injured, according to a Police Department news release.
The Madera County Sheriff's office has released the name of a Rancho Cordova woman killed Friday in a crash between a compact car and a big rig on Highway 99.
The woman, Jerri Fuller, 21, was driving a 1997 Honda Accord north on Highway 99 south of Avenue 21 1/2 when she veered left from the pavement, slid across the dirt median and into oncoming southbound traffic. The driver of a tractor-trailer rig swerved to try to avoid the Honda, but the car struck the left side of the trailer and the rear wheels rolled over it, breaking the rear axle from the trailer.
Fuller was declared dead at the scene. The truck driver, Kevin Barth, 48, of Wisconsin, was taken to Madera Community Hospital after he complained of pain.
Officers said witnesses reported Fuller was driving the Honda at between 65 and 80 mph when she left the northbound lanes of the highway. Officers don't know why the car sped across the median and into the southbound lanes. The collision was reported about 3:30 p.m.
A motorist in his 20s died today after a collision involving his Toyota Camry and a big rig truck at Power Inn and Elder Creek roads in Sacramento, a police spokeswoman said.
The crash occurred about 8 a.m.
The big rig was southbound on Power Inn Road, police said. The Camry was headed east on Elder Creek Road.
A woman who triggered a fiery crash in Redding Friday was cited by Redding police, but the motorcyclist she collided with was arrested for DUI, officials said in a press release.
Police responded shortly after 7 p.m. Friday to reports of a crash and vehicle fire.
A Toyota RAV4 making a left turn onto an Interstate 5 freeway onramp at Twin View Boulevard collided nearly head-on with a motorcycle going the opposite direction on Twin View.
California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow was honored in Milwaukee today with a lifetime achievement award given by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
The AAMVA Martha Irwin Lifetime Achievement Award, given annually, recognizes contributions toward highway safety over the course of a career, according to a news release from the association.
Calling Farrow's career "long and impressive," the AAMVA applauded Farrow's contributions toward seat belt and child safety programs, specifically his work in the legislative arena toward requiring safety belts in school buses, the news release states.
A motorist who died Saturday night in a single-car crash in West Sacramento has been identified as 42-year-old Teofil Iorga, the Yolo County coroner's office said today.
Iorga, of West Sacramento, died after his sport-utility vehicle flipped after crashing at high speed into a support beam for an overhead train trestle across South River Road at Gregory Avenue.
Police said Iorga was ejected from his vehicle and suffered major head trauma. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 43-year-old man is dead after his sport utility vehicle crashed at high-speed into a support beam for an overhead train trestle across South River Road in West Sacramento Saturday night, a police spokesman said today.
Police spokesman Lt. Tod Sockman said the West Sacramento man, traveling east near the 5000 block of South River Road, was ejected from his green Range Rover when it smashed into the trestle support at the Gregory Avenue rail overcrossing about 7:20 p.m. Saturday.
The SUV flipped from the impact, and the driver suffered major head trauma. Nearby anglers fishing in the Sacramento River heard the crash and telephoned police.
California Highway Patrol investigators have tracked down and interviewed a juvenile suspect who is believed to have triggered a head-on crash that sent two people to the hospital with major injuries Friday.
The crash occurred at about 9:50 a.m. Friday, when the suspect pulled out of Lone Star Road onto Highway 49 in Placer County, ignoring heavy oncoming traffic.
Sandy Castle, 60, of Grass Valley was forced to swerve out of the way, but hit a vehicle driven by Edmund Moley, 76, of Auburn.
The California Highway Patrol is looking for the driver of a white Acura Integra who fled after allegedly causing a head-on collision on Highway 49 near Auburn this morning that sent two people to the hospital with major injuries.
About 9:50 a.m., a 60-year-old Grass Valley woman was driving a Ford F-150 truck in the left lane of southbound Highway 49, approaching Lone Star Road, and a 76-year-old Auburn man driving a blue Honda Odyssey, was in the left-turn lane of northbound Highway 49, preparing to turn left onto Lone Star. The driver of the white Acura Integra, traveling westbound on Lone Star Road, suddenly pulled onto Highway 49, crossing the northbound lanes and into the southbound lanes, directly in front of approaching traffic, according to a CHP news release.
The woman in the truck swerved left and into the northbound traffic lane, resulting in a head-on collision with the Honda Odyssey. Both drivers suffered major injuries. The woman was airlifted to Sutter Roseville Medical Center and the man was taken by ambulance Sutter Roseville.
Two men walking away from their broken-down vehicle in Sacramento's south area were struck by a pickup truck, suffering minor injuries, authorities say.
The accident, which was described by authorities as more of a bump than a collision, was reported about 6 a.m. on eastbound Elder Creek Road, just west of South Watt Avenue.
The pedestrians, complaining of pain, were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life threatening.
The vehicle in which they were traveling had broken down and they were walking away from it when they were struck, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Two 19-year-old men from Nevada County who died in a crash last night when the car they were in hit a tree on Highway 49 have been identified by the county coroner.
Adam Berardi and Micah Maneelert-Lira were traveling southbound about 11:30 p.m. on Highway 49 near Tyler Foote Road northwest of Nevada City at an excessive speed, according to a press release from the California Highway Patrol.
Their car, driven by Berardi, drifted off the side of the roadway, causing him to abruptly turn to the left and then back to the right. The car then rotated, according to the CHP, sending it off the road.
Two Sacramento region CHP airborne officers have been recognized for outstanding work.
Pilot Jeff Barbao and flight officer Jonathon Pierce have won the fixed wing operator of the year award sponsored by aircraft-maker GippsAero for the impact of their work.
Barbao and Pierce are assigned to the CHP Valley Division air unit based in Auburn. The division covers an area 160 miles in length and 130 miles wide, including Sacramento, Stockton and South Lake Tahoe.
Categories: Citrus Heights, Davis, El Dorado County, Elk Grove News, Folsom, Lincoln, Placer County, Rancho Cordova, Rocklin, Roseville, Sacramento, Sacramento County, Traffic accidents, West Sacramento, Woodland, Yolo County
A 32-year-old Auburn woman died Sunday afternoon on Interstate 80 when the vehicle she was driving drifted off the roadway and stuck a parked tow truck
Amy Keith was driving a 2003 Honda Accord in the right lane of westbound Interstate 80, west of Newcastle, about 3 p.m., traveling about 65 mph, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.
At the time, a Roseville tow-truck operator was stopped on the right shoulder of the freeway on the right side of his vehicle, monitoring traffic, officials said. In front of his tow truck, also on the right shoulder, was a white 2005 Chevy truck about to be towed by an All American Tow truck, which was parked directly in front of the Chevy truck.
A man believed to have been ejected from the trunk of a vehicle when it crashed early Saturday morning on Highway 50 near 65th Street has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Matthew Jacob George, 19, of Rocklin.
A spokeswoman fro the Coroner's Office said the cause of death has not been determined pending an autopsy.
California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said CHP officers are continuing their investigation of the crash and returned to the scene today.
By Rick Daysog
rdaysog@sacbee.com
A 21-year-old man could face felony manslaughter charges over a fiery one-car accident early Saturday.
The California Highway Patrol arrested Jacinto Mendoza after he allegedly fled the scene of the fatal crash, which occurred shortly after midnight Saturday in the eastbound lanes of Highway 50 near 65th Street.
Witnesses told the CHP that they saw Mendoza's Subaru Legacy weaving before it hit a retaining wall and burst into flames.
A 78-year-old West Sacramento woman has been found guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter in the death of a pedestrian in a grocery store parking lot.
A Yolo County jury on Thursday convicted Donna Marie McClure of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. The jury also found that McClure drove her car without a valid license and failed to yield to a pedestrian when she struck and killed Jewell Mattos in the parking lot of a West Sacramento Raley's store Oct. 1, 2009, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.
According to witnesses and surveillance video, Mattos walked out of Raley's shortly after 10 a.m. and was halfway through the crosswalk when McClure ran into her with her car. McClure failed to stop until Mattos had been carried 20 to 30 feet.
A 5-year-old girl suffered a broken leg when a pickup hit a Lodi home this morning, police said, resulting in the arrest of a man suspected of driving under the influence.
Lodi police said they arrested Jeff Dobretz (left), 21, of Lodi on suspicion of drunken driving, hit and run and reckless driving with injury.
Police said in a press release that at 4:20 a.m. a pickup crashed through a fence and into a home in the 700 block of Pinot Noir Drive. The pickup crashed into the little girl's bedroom, pushing her bed into a wall.
The teenage driver killed in a head-on collision with a cement truck Wednesday has been identified.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office today identified the victim as Julian Nicholas Pereira, 19, of Elk Grove.
The crash occurred shortly before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Elk Grove law enforcement officials said. Pereira, driving a pickup truck, was northbound on Bradshaw Road when he drove across the double-yellow line into the southbound lane and into the path of the cement truck, police said.
The Yolo County Coroner's Office today released the names of the three people killed in Monday's fiery crash on Interstate 5 near Woodland.
They were identified as Robert Lee Taylor, 53, and Linda Danell Taylor, 49, both of Monmouth, Ore., and La-nessa Leann DeMillo, 2, of Tacoma, Wash.
Robert LaBrash, chief deputy coroner, said the cause of death, whether from the impact of the crash or ensuing fire, has not been determined.
By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com
One motorist is dead and another suffered minor injuries shortly before 12:30 p.m. today in a head-on collision involving a cement truck and a pickup truck, Elk Grove law enforcement officials said.
Elk Grove Police spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said the driver of the white pickup truck was headed north on Bradshaw Road when he drove across the double-yellow line into the southbound lane of traffic and into the path of the cement truck.
The impact with the cement truck occurred on Bradshaw north of Elk Grove Boulevard, Trim said in an interview.
The California Highway Patrol has released details of a fatal collision involving a motorcycle and car on Fair Oaks Boulevard over the weekend.
The CHP said Byron Michael Gonzales, 39, of Sacramento was riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle westbound on Fair Oaks Boulevard near Mission Avenue about 10:50 p.m. Saturday. Traveling southbound on Mission Avenue was a 79-year-old man driving a Toyota Camry.
The driver of the car made a left turn onto eastbound Fair Oaks Boulevard, crossing in front of the motorcyclist, the CHP said in a press release.
The transition from southbound I-5 to eastbound Highway 50 was closed for nearly three hours Tuesday after a big rig overturned and scattered debris in the roadway.
The accident was reported at 1:37 p.m. and didn't reopen until 4:32 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol website.
While the roadway was being cleaned up, traffic was diverted off westbound Highway 50 at Jefferson Boulevard, and I-5 traffic was diverted to Sutterville Road.
An initial investigation has revealed that the wreck Monday afternoon on Interstate 5 that left three dead may have started with a truck that was traveling at unsafe speed when approaching traffic slowed by lane closures.
Six vehicles were involved in the crash. Two adults and a child died in the fiery crash on southbound I-5 in the Woodland area Monday afternoon.
Seven other people were injured. Their conditions and the names of the dead were not yet available today.
Traffic is slow on eastbound Interstate 80 near Newcastle after a pick-up truck towing a trailer crashed, spilling debris.
The pickup was traveling eastbound between Penryn and Newcastle at the Gilardi Road overcrossing about 4 a.m. when the driver lost control and hit a guardrail and bridge abutment.
The two slower lanes of the interstate were initially blocked. The slow lane is still blocked and may stay that way for most of the day to repair guardrail damage, according to a California Highway Patrol traffic website.
The crash damaged about 100 feet of guardrail. The driver was transported to a hospital with minor injuries.
A man who died this morning when the logging truck he was driving on Highway 50 crashed into the American River has been identified as Steven John Evans (pictured), 50, of Pollock Pines.
The exact cause of death is pending further investigation, according to the El Dorado County Coroner's Office.
The crash was reported about 6:15 a.m. between Kyburz and Whitehall. The rig ended up partially in the water, spilling logs and fuel. The cab of the truck remained out of the river, but the driver was pinned inside the wreckage, said CHP officer Rich Wetzel.
By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com
Southbound Interstate 5 has reopened at the site of a fatal multi-vehicle collision in Yolo County earlier this afternoon, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Three people, including a young child, died in the six-vehicle wreck that occurred near County Road 102 in the Woodland area around 12:45 p.m., authorities said. Five of the vehicles went up in flames.
The two southbound lanes of the highway, which had been blocked by wreckage, were reopened shortly before 9:30 p.m., according to the CHP online traffic incident information page.
The California Highway Patrol said Highway 50 is open again with alternating one-way traffic after a logging truck crashed into the American River, killing the driver.
The crash was reported about 6:15 a.m., the rig ending up partially in the water, spilling logs and fuel. The cab of the truck remained out of the river but the driver was pinned inside the wreckage, said CHP officer Rich Wetzel.
The CHP, CalFire, El Dorado County sheriffs deputies and the coroner responded to the scene between Kyburz and Whitehall. Also responding was the state Office of Emergency Services and the Department of Fish and Game to check on fuel leakage into the river.
The highway was closed for about two hours while the wreckage was cleared. The route opened with alternating traffic past the crash site about 10:30 a.m.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of a motorist killed Tuesday at Highway 99 and Elverta Road.
The man was identified as Peter Kolesnikov, 18, of Antelope.
By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com
A wrong-way motorcyclist sparked a multi-vehicle collision on the Capital City freeway Tuesday night that killed the cyclist and blocked all eastbound lanes for about two hours, the California Highway Patrol said.
The collision occurred about 10:15 p.m..
Adam U. Peralta, 37, of Winters, apparently rode his motorcycle the wrong way onto the Auburn Boulevard off-ramp and into oncoming highway traffic, said CHP Sgt. Diego Flores.
All northbound lanes of Highway 99 near Elverta Road are now open after a traffic fatality closed the major roadway north of Sacramento.
The 6 a.m. crash involved a commercial truck and a gray car. Details of the collision were not immediately available but it appeared that the truck broadsided the passenger car.
The name of the driver killed in the wreck has not been released.
An Amtrak train has collided with a big rig in Solano County near Vacaville.
The train struck the big rig near the Vanden and Canon Roads about 8:30 a.m.
"The train drove through a truck that was pulling a trailer," said passenger D'Anna Cardwell of Oregon. "We went straight through the middle of it, separating the trailer from the truck."
A bicyclist died after he was struck twice by vehicles near Davis Sunday night.
He was identified by the California Highway Patrol as Terry Tanner, 71, of Davis.
Tanner was riding on County Road 99 north of Covell Boulevard at about 9:45 p.m. in the middle of the southbound traffic lane when a car going in the same direction hit him, according to the California Highway Patrol. The 40-year-old motorist, who was traveling at about 55 mph at the time of the crash, later told the CHP that he did not see the bicyclist.
The Yolo County Coroner's office has released the name of a driver killed on a dirt road when his truck rolled.
He was identified as Adam J. Connolly, 25, of Clear Lake.
Connolly was driving his pickup south on a dirt road off of County Road 40 west of Rumsey at a high speed about 6 p.m. Friday when he lost control. The pickup overturned and ejected Connolly, the truck ending up on top of him.
An elderly man was killed by a suspected drunken driver in a head-on collision Thursday evening in Magalia, northeast of Chico.
The 80-year-old victim was driving at about 20 mph in the northbound lane of Skyway Road when he was hit by a southbound car driven at about 35 mph by Jordan Fischbach, 23. Authorities said Fischbach's vehicle had drifted across double yellow lines into the path of the victim's car.
After the collision, Fischbach waited at the scene for emergency personnel to arrive. The victim died at the scene.
Fischbach was taken to Enloe Hospital where he was treated for moderate injuries and was arrested for a felony DUI.
A man who died in a crash after leading Folsom police on a high-speed pursuit early Wednesday morning has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Stephen Christopher Stucker, 22, of North Highlands.
About 3 a.m. Wednesday, Folsom police officers noticed a vehicle traveling at high speed with its headlights off on Iron Point Road. The vehicle went through the intersection of Iron Point and Empire Ranch roads without stopping for the stop sign, according to a Folsom Police Department news release.
When officers attempted to pull over the vehicle, the driver tried to elude them. During the pursuit, the driver continued to travel at high speeds and attempted to run over police officers with his vehicle, according to the news release.
A driver was killed near Folsom Lake this morning after a high-speed chase with Folsom police officers.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, was seen speeding without headlights on through a stop sign at the intersection of Iron Point Road and Empire Ranch Road at 3 a.m., according to a Folsom Police Department press release.
Two people suffered major injuries this afternoon when the vehicle in which they were riding crashed into a median barrier on Interstate 80 and overturned, ejecting them onto the roadway.
About 2:10 p.m., two vehicles, a white BMW convertible and a gold Subaru Legacy, were traveling east on I-80 west of Horseshoe Roar Road at a high rate of speed, according to a California Highway Patrol news release. The driver of the BMW lost control of his vehicle and swerved across the traffic lanes, striking the concrete median barrier.
The impact caused the BMW to overturn, ejecting two female passengers who were in the rear seat. One was ejected into the center divide area of the westbound traffic lanes and the other into the center divide area of the eastbound traffic lanes, officials said. Both were transported by ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with major injuries.
A 21-year-old Rocklin woman suffered major injuries Sunday night when her vehicle struck the concrete center median barrier on Interstate 80.
Hillary Cantrell was driving a white Chevy Silverado on westbound I-80, east of the Gilardi Road overcrossing northeast of Loomis about 10:55 p.m. She was traveling in the fast lane, when she made an unsafe turning movement, causing her vehicle to hit the median barrier, according to a California Highway Patrol news release. The impact caused the vehicle to overturn several times, ejecting Cantrell into the roadway.
She was airlifted to Sutter Roseville Medical Center by a CHP helicopter. A hospital spokeswoman said today that she is in critical condition.
By Ben Schenkel
bschenkel@sacbee.com
A 48-year-old man died early Saturday morning in a single-vehicle crash that temporarily closed a portion of Marysville Boulevard, according to the Sacramento Police Department.
The Sacramento Coroner's Office has not released the victim's identity.
A vehicle crash originally thought to be an accident late Thursday was a homicide, Sacramento police said.
A 49-year-old man was found dead in a red Honda CR-V after the vehicle plowed through two gates and into the side of a house just south of Curtis Park on 15th Avenue and Franklin Boulevard about 11 p.m., a police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said.
Police found that the victim had suffered upper-body trauma that did not seem to have been caused by the crash and instead was consistent with injuries associated with a homicide.
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.
![RP GHOST BIKE[3].JPG](http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/RP%20GHOST%20BIKE%5B3%5D.JPG)
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
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.
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.
![stacy lynn taylor (6-19-87)[1].jpg12.jpg](http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/crime/stacy%20lynn%20taylor%20%286-19-87%29%5B1%5D.jpg12.jpg)
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
From Niesha Lofing:
The man killed in a fiery two-vehicle crash Monday night in Yolo County has been identified as Jose Jesus Mora Martinez, 65, of Sacramento.
Robert LaBrash, Yolo County's chief deputy coroner, said cause of death remains under investigation.
The crash occurred on Old River Road about 7:15 p.m. just south of County Road 126 and west of the Sacramento River, said Robert Lagomarsino, a California Highway Patrol officer.
Witnesses said a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck, driven by Martinez, speeding south on Old River Road, failed to negotiate a curve, Lagomarsino said.
The vehicle went onto the shoulder and spun toward the northbound lane and into the path of a 1996 Toyota Corolla carrying four people, including two babies.
The driver of the Toyota was John Ostergaard Jensen, 25, of Woodland. His passengers were Adrienne Day, 24, a 1-year-old girl and a 3-month-old, Lagomarsino said.
Ostergaard Jensen braked when he saw the out-of-control vehicle but struck the truck's right side, causing it to flip onto its roof and burn, killing Martinez.
The Toyota also caught fire, but all four people inside escaped. Ostergaard Jensen and Day complained of pain, and Day suffered an abrasion to her shoulder. The two children suffered minor injuries.
From Sandy Louey:
Redding police are investigating a two-car collision Monday in which a 77-year-old woman died.
At 11:20 a.m., police responded to an accident at South Market and Grange streets involving a 2005 Ford Taurus and a 1988 Jeep Cherokee, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.
The Ford Taurus made a left turn from northbound South Market to westbound Grange in front of the Jeep Cherokee, which was headed south on South Market, police said.
The driver of the Jeep Cherokee didn't see the Ford Taurus cross into his path until just before the collision, police said. The Jeep Cherokee collided with the right side of the Ford Taurus, police said.
The passenger in the Ford Taurus, Vivian Lee Lewis, sustained major injuries from the accident. She was taken to Mercy Hospital for her injuries, where she died, police said.
The two drivers and Lewis were wearing seatbelts. The accident is under investigation and anyone who may have witnessed it is asked to call the police's traffic unit at (530) 225-4230.
From Sandy Louey:
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified a man killed in a single-car accident Monday as 55-year-old Ricky Gilmore of Elk Grove.
At 10:25 p.m. Sunday, the Elk Grove Police Department were called to the accident on Whitelock Parkway just west of Big Horn Boulevard, according to a press release.
Officers found an overturned black 1997 Mercedes on Whitelock. Gilmore died at the scene, police said.
The vehicle was traveling east on Whitelock when it crossed over the center median into the westbound lanes for an unknown reason. Gilmore lost control of his vehicle then collided with several fixed objects before coming to rest upside down, police said.
From Sandy Louey:
Two horses died after escaping their fenced pasture and colliding with two separate vehicles in Yuba City Wednesday night. One driver suffered minor injuries.
The accident took place at 6:35 p.m. at Garden Highway south of Star Bend Road. The driver of an Isuzu was traveling south on Garden around 55 mph. There are no streetlights in the area, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP gave this account of the accidents:
A woman boarded numerous horses at her private stables on Shannon Road near Garden Highway. The horses escaped from their pasture and two of them walked toward Garden Highway.
The driver of an Isuzu said a horse suddenly appeared in front of the vehicle, which struck and killed the horse.
The driver of a Dodge Durango "well behind" the Isuzu reported striking the second horse after it crossed the vehicle's path. The horse, which had a broken rear leg, was euthanized.
Garden Highway was shut down for about 30 minutes so that the horses could be removed. The driver of the Isuzu and his passenger had minor injuries and were taken to Rideout Hospital.
The driver of the Dodge Durango wasn't injured.
From Sandy Louey:
Folsom police are warning motorists about a scam in which a man tried to stage a car accident three times in the same day.
Police believe the same man was behind the incidents on Tuesday.
Around 11:30 a.m., a man was seen lying behind a parked car in a parking lot at 370 Plaza Drive. He got up and ran away when a customer saw him, according to a press release.
About two hours, he was laying down on the street in the area of Wales Drive and Riley Street as a motorist pulled out of the parking lot.
Police said the third incident was at 5:40 p.m. at the Folsom Premium Outlets.
The man positioned himself under the driver's side tires of a parked car and accused the motorist of hitting him. When he pounded on her window, she sounded her horn and called police. The man ran into the stores area, police said.
Police believe the incidents were an attempt to stage an automobile-pedestrian collision in order to collect money from the motorist in lieu of filing an insurance claim. The man didn't try to grab any motorists and didn't threaten them, Lt. Sheldon Sterling said in the release.
The suspect is described is a white man between his 20s and 30s. He was 6-feet-1 to 6-feet-2 inches tall and weighed between 220 and 250 pounds. He was balding and was dressed in all black clothes, police said.
Police encourage people to be aware of their surroundings. They should have their keys in hand and check the area around their cars.
They should call 911 if they see anyone or anything around their vehicles.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at (916) 930-1098.
From Sandy Louey:
Roseville police are investigating a traffic accident that killed a 27-year-old Citrus Heights man Tuesday.
At 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Roseville police and fire responded to an accident in which a 1994 Nissan four-door sedan occupied by two people hit a tree on Hickory Street at Church Street, said Dee Dee Gunther, spokeswoman for the Roseville police, in a press release.
The passenger, Joseph Carrel Cowles, was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he died Tuesday morning from his injuries. The driver, a 19-year-old Yuba City woman, is listed in serious condition at Sutter Roseville, police said.
Roseville police suspect that drug impairment was a factor in the crash, the release said.
From Sandy Louey:
A solo-vehicle accident forced a lane of Highway 70 near Linda to be shut down Monday.
At 9:55 a.m., a 53-year-old Linda woman was driving her Ford F150 truck north on North Beale Road. She was merging onto northbound Highway 70, but traffic was heavy, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol.
She tried to stay close to the right-hand curb, but the right tires of her truck struck the curb on the overpass. The truck jumped the curb and traveled across the sidewalk and struck the guardrail, the CHP said.
The truck spun out of control, blocking a northbound lane of Highway 70 for about 20 minutes until the accident was cleared. Traffic was allowed through another lane, but there was considerable backup, the CHP said.
The woman, who was wearing her seatbelt, complained of pain to her head. She refused treatment at the scene and was seeking her own medical aid, authorities said.
The CHP said neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the accident.
From Chelsea Phua:
A solo-vehicle collision Thursday morning in Placer County brought down power lines on Bell Road, closing it for two hours and sending the driver to hospital with minor injuries, authorities said.
According to a California Highway Patrol news release, Harold Hawkins, 85, of Auburn, was driving his silver Ford Windstar minivan on Bell Road near Sunset Terrace in unincorporated Auburn when, for unknown reasons, his vehicle veered off the road.
The front of the minivan struck a utility pole, shearing it off and causing power lines to fall onto the road. The minivan continued into a field, coming to a rest about 45 feet from the roadway.
Hawkins was transported to Auburn Faith Hospital for minor injuries. Agencies that responded included Placer County Fire and Sheriff's departments. PG&E and AT&T crews also responded.
With the returning rains, CHP spokesman Dave Montijo warned motorists to slow down.
"Getting to your destination safely is well worth a few more minutes on the road," Montijo said. "We all need to be more mindful of the wet roadways and adjust our driving habits accordingly."
From Sandy Louey:
A 27-year-old Orangevale man died after he fled from an California Highway Patrol officer and crashed into an utility pole Tuesday night, the CHP said today.
At 10:47 p.m., Jarrett Goddard was driving a Yamaha R1 motorcycle east on Greenback Lane and Filbert Avenue in Orangevale around 70 mph in a posted 45 mph zone, CHP Officer Lizz Dutton said in a news release. (An earlier version mistakenly listed the Goddard's first name as Jamie.)
Dutton gave the following account:
A CHP unit tried to make an enforcement stop, but Goddard sped away and turned north onto Chestnut Avenue.
Goddard failed to stop for a stop sign at Central Avenue and sideswiped a blue Plymouth Voyager. The Voyager was west on Central and had turned north onto Chestnut.
Goddard, who was wearing a helmet, was ejected from the motorcycle and struck a wooden pole. He suffered fatal injuries from the collisions.
The driver of the Voyager complained of pain to her right shoulder. Both Goddard and the driver of the Voyager were driving on suspended driver's licenses.
She said a court-ordered restriction required Goddard to have an ignition interlock device, which the motorcycle didn't have.
The CHP is investigating the accident, but alcohol appears to be a factor in Goddard's actions, Dutton said.
Results are pending from a toxicology report.
From Sandy Louey:
A pedestrian was killed early Tuesday morning as he was crossing Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights.
Citrus Heights police were called at 5:48 a.m. to a traffic accident at Sunrise and Sungarden Drive involving a vehicle and two pedestrians.
A 28-year-old man and a woman were crossing Sunrise at Sungarden when a vehicle heading south on Sunrise hit them, said Sgt. Eric Mattke of the Citrus Heights Police Department.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District took both pedestrians to Mercy San Juan Medical Center. The man, who had severe injuries, died at the hospital. The woman, who complained about back pain, is expected to be treated and released, police said.
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the man as Jayson Echevarrieta of Citrus Heights.
Police said the driver, who was traveling at or near the posted speed limit of 40 mph, was questioned and released.
The accident is still under investigation. Police want to remind people who walk when it is dark to wear light-colored clothes since drivers may not see you in the road
From Chelsea Phua:
A Sacramento Police Department officer was involved in an accident this morning.
No one was injured.
Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said the incident happened shortly before 11 a.m. at 28th and X streets.
Leong said the officer was northbound on 28th St and turning right on X when a car driving eastbound on X street collided with the officer's vehicle.
Neither the officer nor the driver complained of pain, Leong said.
From Sandy Louey:
A 50-year-old pedestrian died after being hit by a vehicle in midtown Sacramento Wednesday night, police said today.
The accident occurred at 8:18 p.m. at the intersection of 21st and O streets. The driver of a vehicle traveling north on 21st Street saw a shopping cart in the middle of the street, but not a person, said Sgt. Norm Leong, a spokesman with the Sacramento Police Department.
The driver hit the man, Leong said. The pedestrian died Wednesday night at UC Davis Medical Center, he said.
The driver was not injured.
The accident is still under investigation. It is unclear if the man was in the crosswalk or not, Leong said.
Liv Moe of Sacramento was standing about half a block away at Zelda's Original Gourmet Pizza when the accident occurred.
"It sounded like a fender bender, like one car rear ended another," she said.
It wasn't until a family member went to get her car that Moe found out that a man had been hit. The man was lying in the street and his shoes were in the crosswalk, she said.
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has not released the man's identity pending notification of next of kin.
Anyone who saw the accident or has information about it is asked to call the police at (916) 264-5471 and ask for the traffic investigations unit.
From Kim Minugh:
Even the dogs sounded sad.
Nearly 200 people gathered this morning at the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's Memorial Garden in Carmichael to bid farewell to Ado, the canine who was killed in the line of duty Jan. 18.
The crowd included K9 teams from across Northern California. Some handlers wore black mourning bands across their badges.
As speakers eulogized the 5-year-old German shepherd (photo left), whimpering and barking filled the cold morning air. Ado's four-legged colleagues on the sheriff's K9 unit, perched atop a hill behind the Memorial Garden with their solemn handlers, shifted restlessly.
Deputy Rick Kemp, a sheriff's K9 handler, described Ado as a "kind soul" who could go from gently licking children's faces to catching a criminal. He said the dog loved to work and raced his handler, Deputy Anthony Jenkins, to their patrol car.
"Ado touched many lives," Kemp said.
Jenkins and Ado were a team for three years before the dog's death. The deputy said the loss has been difficult.
"It's hard when I wake up in the morning to go to work," Jenkins said. "Seeing his kennel empty, not hearing his bark or his heavy tail wagging is rough."
His son, 16-year-old JaMar, said he shares his father's sadness.
"It's kind of like part of the family is missing," he said.
On the night Ado was killed, Jenkins was working as a patrol deputy on overtime. He got permission to bring along Ado because the dog had been home all day, said sheriff's K9 Sgt. Donna Goncalves.
The team responded to a reported carjacking of an elderly man. Jenkins spotted the stolen vehicle, which stopped in the parking lot of an apartment complex near 47th Avenue and 54th Street.
The suspects fled the vehicle, and Jenkins and Ado gave chase.
Ado was struck and killed by a passing motorist as he sprinted after one of the suspects across 47th Avenue.
Detectives later identified the suspects and arrested them after they again tried to flee, Curran said. Phillip Worsham, 18, was booked on charges of robbery, carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon because the elderly man had been beaten during the carjacking, Curran said.
A 16-year-old male juvenile was booked on charges of robbery, carjacking, resisting arrest and elderly abuse.
The driver who struck Ado is not facing charges, Curran said.
During his three-year career as a sheriff's K9, Ado assisted in the apprehension of more than 200 suspects, Goncalves said. That includes suspects who surrendered at the threat of Ado's bite, and those who Ado caught himself.
"He was a good dog," Jenkins said.
From Chelsea Phua:
A 72-year-old Citrus Heights woman struck an Auburn fire engine head-on Thursday around noon on Highway 49 in the Auburn State Recreation Area, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Florence Keneipp, the 72-year-old driver, suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, Officer Dave Montijo said.
One of the six firefighters on Engine 1284 complained of pain, and was taken to hospital, Officer Dave Montijo said. Three others were also transported as a precautionary measure.
The firefighters were at the scene of a solo-vehicle non-injury crash, where another driver had veered off the road and into a ditch north of the American River.
The engine was parked facing north on the right shoulder of the southbound lane. The site was along a curved section of the road, and a car had slowed and come to a stop to make sure that nothing was around the corner when Keneipp, an employee of a car dealership driving a silver 2009 Toyota Corolla belonging to the dealership, tried to go around the first car. The Corolla went onto the right shoulder and into the fire engine.
Montijo said the accident is under investigation and it is unknown why Keneipp was trying to overtake the other car.
From Sandy Louey:
An 18-year-old Courtland woman was killed Tuesday afternoon after her vehicle went over an embankment and hit some trees, the California Highway Patrol said.
The accident occurred at 11:55 a.m. when Marina Arredondo was driving south on Highway 160 at Lambert Road near Courtland, said Officer Michael Bradley, spokesman for the CHP.
Arredondo was traveling 50 to 55 mph when her vehicle drifted to the right side of the road. She overcorrected and veered back into the lane.
She lost control of the vehicle, which went down the right side of the embankment into an orchard, Bradley said.
Her vehicle overturned and hit several trees. Arredondo died at the scene. Neither drugs nor alcohol apparently was a factor, Bradley said.
From Sandy Louey:
A West Sacramento police officer was injured Sunday night after losing control of his vehicle and hitting some trees.
At 7:45 p.m., the officer was trying to overtake a traffic violator on Southport Parkway west of Lake Washington Boulevard. He lost control and his vehicle hit several trees in the center median of the road, according to a news release.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The officer, whose injuries didn't appear to be serious, was taken to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, police said.
The accident is under investigation.
From David Richie
A Sacramento County Sheriff's Department deputy is expected to recover from injuries suffered Friday morning when a vehicle struck his department motorcycle near the junction of Highway 99 and Highway 113 in Sutter County.
Deputy Corey Simpson, 39, was transported by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with leg and shoulder injuries.
No internal injuries have been detected and Simpson will likely remain hospitalized until mid-week, Sheriff's Department officials said in a press release.
Simpson was in uniform when the accident occurred. Sheriff's officials did not say why Simpson was in Sutter County.
The deputy has been with the Sheriff's Department for seven years and he is assigned to the Rancho Cordova Police Department. The Sheriff's Department provides police service to Rancho Cordova under a contract.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
From Sandy Louey:
The California Highway Patrol on Thursday identified a 66-year-old woman killed in a head-on crash as Delores Linville of Lincoln.
The accident was at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday on Sierra College Boulevard north of Twelve Bridges Drive in Lincoln. Linville was driving a Buick that collided with a Ford Explorer driven by David Spencer, 66, of Lincoln, according to the CHP.
It is unclear how the two vehicles ended up in a head-on crash in the southbound lane of Sierra College, the CHP said.
The accident closed the road for more than three hours, the CHP.
Spencer was taken to Sutterville Roseville Medical Center, where he was in critical condition Thursday, said hospital spokeswoman Robin Montgomery.
The CHP is looking for witnesses who may have seen the accident or observed either driver beforehand. They are asked to call CHP Officer Mark Williams at (916) 663-3344.
From Sandy Louey:
A head-on crash in Lincoln Wednesday killed a 66-year-old woman and left a man seriously injured, the California Highway Patrol said.
The accident was reported around 12:20 p.m. on Sierra College Boulevard north of Twelve Bridges Drive.
The Buick and Ford Explorer involved were traveling on Sierra College, but it is unclear what direction they were traveling or which vehicle drifted over to the oncoming traffic, said CHP spokeswoman Kelly Baraga.
The driver of the Buick, who was from Lincoln, was killed. The woman's name has not been released pending notification of next of kin, Baraga said.
The Ford Explorer driver, 66-year-old David Spencer of Lincoln, had major injuries. He was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, Baraga said.
The accident is still under investigation.
From Sandy Louey:
A 53-year-old Davis man traveling at a high speed was killed in a solo-car accident in Dixon Monday night, the California Highway Patrol said.
The Solano County Coroner's Office on Tuesday identified the man as Bruce Wenokur.
Around 9:19 p.m. Monday, Wenokur was driving a Mercedes Benz C240 heading east on Interstate 80 at a high rate of speed, the CHP said. Witnesses reported he was using all lanes of traffic and driving in a reckless manner, according to a CHP press release.
As he approached the transition road between Interstate 80 and northbound State Road 113, he swerved onto the right shoulder and onto the dirt grade at the shoulder's edge, the CHP said.
Authorities said the car skidded through the dirt and grass for a distance of almost 150 yards before hitting a steel support beam for an overhead sign. The speedometer was frozen at 90 mph.
The Dixon Fire Department responded to the accident, but Wenokur died at the scene. The CHP said he wore a seatbelt, but alcohol is suspected as a factor in the crash.
From Stan Oklobdzija:
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified a man struck and killed by a train while he rode his bicycle in the Florin area Wednesday night.
Michel Lamborn, 55, of Sacramento was killed while attempting to cross the tracks near Gerber Road and Tiogawoods Drive at about 10:20 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
According to a CHP press release, the train's conductor saw Lamborn on the tracks before he was struck, but was unable to stop before hitting him. Lamborn was crossing the intersection while both crossing arms were down and signals were sounding, the release said.
The CHP is currently investigating the accident and is looking for witnesses, the release said. Anyone with information is asked to call (916) 681-2300 during business hours or (916) 861-1300 after hours.
From Kim Minugh:
The California Highway Patrol is seeking the help of anyone who might have witnessed the fatal motorcycle accident that left a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy dead earlier this month.
Deputy Larry Canfield (left photo), a motorcycle officer assigned to the Rancho Cordova Police Department, was killed Nov. 12 when his motorcycle struck a vehicle on Coloma Road in Rancho Cordova. The details of that accident are still being investigated.
Anyone who was in the area of Coloma Road and Chardonnay Drive about 1:52 p.m. that day is asked to call CHP Investigating Officer Chris Padilla at (916) 876-8808.
From Sandy Louey:
Authorities said a bicyclist struck by a car Friday has been identified as Jose DeJesus Delgado-Aldape of Sacramento.
Around 7 a.m., the 26-year-old man was riding his bicycle west on Edison Avenue and had entered the intersection of Morse Avenue when he was struck by a car, according to a release from the California Highway Patrol.
Joe Ann Lee, 31, of Sacramento was driving south on Morse when she failed to stop for the stop sign, the CHP said. She had just left her home and her car windows still had early morning dew on them, the CHP said.
Delgado-Aldape, who wasn't wearing a bicycle helmet, was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center with major life-threatening injuries. He was taken off life support Saturday evening and his organs will be donated, according to the CHP.
He cleaned homes and would ride his bicycle to his boss' home. From there, she would drive him around, the CHP said.
The accident is still under investigation.
From Kim Minugh:
Authorities are seeking the public's help in identifying a male patient who is in critical condition after being struck by a car this morning.
The accident occurred about 7 a.m. at the intersection of Edison and Morse avenues in the Town & Country Village area of Sacramento County. The victim was riding a bicycle when he was struck, according to Mercy San Juan Medical Center officials.
The patient is a Caucasian male in his 40s with dark, shoulder-length hair. He is about 5-foot-10-inches tall and 275 pounds. He has a pierced left ear and a tattoo of a lion's head on his left shoulder.
He is currently in critical condition, said hospital spokesman Bryan Gardner.
Anyone with information is asked to call hospital security officials at (916) 537-5025.
From Kim Minugh:
Sacramento County sheriff's officials have released details of the processional route planned in connection with Thursday's memorial services for Deputy Larry Canfield, and residents should expect traffic delays in those areas.
The processional is expected to start about 12:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Elk Grove, 8939 East Stockton Boulevard. It will follow this route:
- North on East Stockton Boulevard
- West on Sheldon Drive
- Enter southbound Highway 99
- Exit Liberty Road
- West on Liberty Road
- North on Lower Sacramento Road
- West on Kost Road
- End at Galt Arno Cemetery, 14180 Joy Drive in Galt.
Residents are invited to the memorial service, which begins at 10 a.m., and to line the processional route, but are encouraged to make plans according to expected traffic delays. The entire procession is expected to last about two hours.
Canfield, 43, died in a motorcycle accident last week while enforcing traffic laws on Coloma Road. He was a 13-year veteran of the sheriff's department and had been assigned to the Rancho Cordova Police Department's motorcycle unit since 2004.
The Sheriff's Department provides police services to Rancho Cordova under a contract.
From Kim Minugh:
A funeral service for the Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy killed in a motorcycle accident last week has been scheduled for Thursday morning in Elk Grove.
Larry Canfield's memorial service will begin at 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Elk Grove, 8939 E. Stockton Blvd. The public is invited to attend.
A processional will follow, leading from the church to Galt Arno Cemetery, 14180 Joy Drive. Details of that processional, and involved road closures, have not yet been determined by sheriff's officials.
There also will be a law enforcement reception after the graveside services at Littleton Community Center, 410 Civic Drive in Galt, but it is not open to the public.
On Wednesday, a viewing will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the East Lawn Elk Grove Memorial Park, 9189 East Stockton Blvd.
Canfield (top photo), a 13-year veteran of the sheriff's department and son of a retired sheriff's sergeant, died Wednesday afternoon after his motorcycle collided with a car on Coloma Road, near Sierra Madre Court, in Rancho Cordova.
Since 2004, Canfield had been assigned to the Rancho Cordova Police Department's motorcycle unit, and he had been enforcing traffic laws on Coloma Road at the time of his accident. The California Highway Patrol's investigation continues, but preliminary findings show the collision was an accident.
The deputy is survived by his wife, Michelle, and sons Tyler, 12, and Bryce, 10.
A Larry Canfield Memorial Fund has been set up through Exchange Bank, which has two branches in the area: 2320 Sunset Blvd., Suite 100, Rocklin; and 1420 Rocky Ridge Drive, Suite 190, Roseville. Checks can be delivered in person or mailed. The account number is 1205001934.
From Kim Minugh:
The day after a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy died in a traffic accident on Coloma Road - and area residents began decrying it as an example of the street's dangerous nature - Rancho Cordova officials said the road does not stand out as one of the city's most dangerous.
The number of accidents on the stretch of Coloma Road where Deputy Larry Canfield's motorcycle collided with another vehicle has decreased 40 percent in the last four years as a result of traffic enforcement and education efforts, said Public Works Director Cyrus Abhar.
And while the road is a congested one - 21,000 vehicles travel it daily - its accident rate is consistent with that of comparable streets city- and countywide, Abhar said.
"Coloma Road really has no engineering problems. There are no obstructions, no safety hazards, no sharp turns," he said. "It's a straight, flat section of the road - and the accident occurred on a clear, sunny day."
Canfield's fatal accident was a tragedy that likely had nothing to do with the road itself, Abhar said.
"It was just a very unfortunate circumstance," he said.
Canfield, a 13-year veteran of the sheriff's department and son of a retired sheriff's sergeant, died Wednesday at Mercy San Juan Medical Center shortly after the 2 p.m. accident. He was 43 and leaves behind a wife and two young sons.
Mark Kopang, who runs a Web site for motorcycle police officers, has posted a photo gallery of Canfield participating in various events, including motorcycle events. His photos can be seen here.
From Kim Minugh and Chelsea Phua:
A fund has been established to assist the family of Sacramento County sheriff's deputy Larry Canfield, who died Wednesday in a motorcycle accident while on duty in Rancho Cordova.
Also, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered flags lowered across the state.
Donations can be made to the Larry Canfield Memorial Fund by visiting an Exchange Bank branch, or by sending a check. The bank has two locations in the region, one at 2320 Sunset Blvd., Suite 100, Rocklin, CA 95765; the other at 1420 Rocky Ridge Drive, Suite 190, Roseville, CA 95661.
The account's number is 1205001934 and the routing number is 121101985.
Canfield died at Mercy San Juan Medical Center shortly after he collided with a vehicle while riding his motorcycle eastbound on Coloma Road, near Sierra Madre Court. Early findings in the investigation indicate he was in pursuit of a speeding motorist and was attempting to pass another vehicle when that vehicle made a left turn and they collided.
The 13-year veteran and second-generation sheriff's deputy is survived by his wife, Michelle, and sons Tyler, 12, and Bryce, 10.
In ordering the flags lowered, Schwarzenegger expressed his condolences to family, friends and colleagues of Canfield.
Flags will be flown at half-staff in the deputy's honor.
Schwarzenegger said Canfield put his life on the line every day to protect people in his community.
"We are thankful for his commitment to public safety and know that Rancho Cordova is a better place because of his service," he said in a written statement. "Maria and I send our deepest condolences to Lawrence's family, friends and fellow deputies during his difficult time."
The Sheriff's Department provides police services to Rancho Cordova under a contract
From Kim Minugh and Stan Oklobdzija:
For the fourth time in four years, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is preparing a funeral for one of its own.
Tragedy hit the department once more Wednesday afternoon, when 13-year veteran and second-generation sheriff's Deputy Larry Canfield (left photo) struck another vehicle while conducting traffic enforcement as part of the Rancho Cordova Police Department's motorcycle unit.
His death, pronounced shortly thereafter at Mercy San Juan Medical Center, is the fifth line-of-duty loss suffered in the Sheriff's Department's ranks since 2005.
"I don't think you ever get over it. It's just a numbing effect," said Deputy Kevin Mickelson, president of the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association. "Here we think we're going to make it through a year, and here we are again."
Wednesday's accident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. along a busy stretch of Coloma Road, just a few hundred feet from Mills Middle School.
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From Sandy Louey:
An 85-year-old Sacramento man died Wednesday after his van collided with a pillar at a strip mall building in the Arden Arcade area.
Around 10:05 a.m., William Huggins was driving a white 1987 Chevy van that exited out of the north side of the Bel Air parking lot at Arden Way and Eastern Avenue, according to a release from the California Highway Patrol.
The van continued north on Eastern before going into the shopping center where Whole Foods Market is located. The market is at the northeast corner of Arden and Eastern, the CHP said.
Authorities say Huggins' van struck three vehicles before colliding with the concrete and brick pillar of a strip mall building. He had a possible heart attack that may have caused the accident.
Huggins was taken to the Mercy San Juan Medical Center where he died. It is unclear whether his medical condition or the trauma from the accident caused his death, the CHP said.
The accident is under investigation.
From David Richie:
Christopher Ryan Helmer, 16, of Roseville, has died of injuries suffered July 28 in a traffic crash at Galleria Boulevard and Roseville Parkway, Roseville police announced today.
The crash occurred about 11:59 p.m. when the driver of a Honda Accord in which Helmer was a passenger attempted a left turn onto westbound Roseville Parkway from northbound Galleria Boulevard. The car was struck broadside by a full-size Chevrolet pickup truck that was southbound on Galleria Boulevard, officials said.
The Roseville Police Department Major Accident Investigation squad has conducted an extensive investigation, but has not yet been able to determine which driver was at fault, officials said.
Investigators have ruled out alcohol or other drugs as a factor, and all the involved parties were wearing seatbelts. The investigation is continuing.
From Sandy Louey:
Authorities said a 27-year-old Marysville man died in a rollover accident in Yuba County Saturday night.
Terry D. Sutton was driving south on Rancho Road just south of Bernice Avenue around 11:15 p.m.
He was traveling at high rate of speed and fishtailing when his vehicle ran off the road, went into a ditch and rolled over, according to a release from the California Highway Patrol.
Sutton, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown to the passenger side. He was partially ejected and became trapped within the passenger side window when the vehicle was on its roof, the CHP said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
From Sandy Louey:
A 19-year-old motorcyclist was injured after striking a pickup truck in Orangevale Wednesday morning.
At 10:33 a.m., Julian Adame of Orangevale was riding his 2008 Honda CBR 600 motorcycle west on Main Avenue west of Dredger Way. While approaching a right curve, his motorcycle veered into the opposing eastbound lane and hit a 1996 Toyota T100 pickup truck, according to a release from the California Highway Patrol.
The motorcycle struck the pickup's left front, ejecting Adame and throwing him into the windshield. He was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center with major head injuries, the CHP said.
Adame was listed in serious condition Wednesday afternoon, hospital spokesman Bryan Gardner said.
The CHP said Adame was wearing a full-face helmet and a padded racing jacket. The driver of the pickup, Kenny Nguyen, 46, of Elk Grove, was taken to UC Davis Medical Center as a precaution.
The accident is still under investigation.
From Sandy Louey:
A man working on a phone booth was critically injured Monday after a truck went off the road and hit him, authorities said.
The accident occurred at 9:43 a.m. when a truck traveling south on Marysville Boulevard veered off and hit a vehicle parked in the parking lot of Market Basket supermarket, 3845 Marysville Blvd., said Officer Konrad Von Schoech, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department.
The truck then hit the man, who was repairing a phone booth nearby. The truck also hit several other parked vehicles, Von Schoech said.
The man, whose name and identity weren't available, was taken to a local hospital. The driver of the truck, who has a medical condition, had minor injuries, he said.
From Sandy Louey:
Authorities have recovered a car and a body from the Sacramento River near Walnut Grove.
The accident occurred around 7 p.m. Sunday at Grand Island Road three miles southeast of Highway 160, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.
A car heading north on Grand Island failed to negotiate a sharp left turn, overturning as it went down the embankment, said Officer Michael Bradley, a spokesman for the CHP.
He said the car, a silver 2003 Mercedes Benz, went 30 feet into the river and submerged on the driver's side. A female passenger, who was likely not wearing a seatbelt, was found floating in the water.
The body has been identified as Jeri Joanne Lyons-Thompson, 45, of Brentwood in Contra Costa County. She is the owner of the car, Bradley said.
The driver, whom they believe is a 48-year-old Discovery Bay man, has not been located yet, he said. The driver was not further identified.
CHP is still investigating the accident.
Anyone with information is asked to call the CHP at (916) 681-2300 or after hours at (916) 861-1300.
From Sandy Louey:
California Highway Patrol officials have identified the 50-year-old Auburn pedestrian who was fatally struck trying to cross Highway 49 Saturday as Doyle Lynn Moore.
The accident occurred around 11 a.m. as Moore was trying to cross the highway north of Edgewood Road. He and a female friend were crossing the highway from west to east and had reached the center divide, according to a release from CHP Officer Kelly Baraga.
A vehicle in the northbound fast lane stopped to let the pair cross. Moore crossed in front of the stopped car and was hit by a 1991 Pontiac traveling in the northbound slow lane. The driver of the Pontiac, which was traveling about 40 mph, was 83-year-old Joan Loleta Holloway of Auburn, Baraga said.
Moore was taken to Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital, where he died. No one else was injured, Baraga said.
The accident is still under investigation, but alcohol and drugs were not involved, Baraga said.
From M.S. Enkoji:
A 44-year-old Sacramento man, who died as he came to the aid of a crash victim, will be honored posthumously by the California Highway Patrol Tuesday.
Guy Pierce was on State Route 99 near Elkhorn Boulevard at about 11 p.m. on March 8 when he approached a rollover traffic accident.
Kaili Jackson, 20, an unlicensed driver, was driving south on SR 99 south of Elkhorn when her 2002 Toyota Tundra drifted to the center and clipped the center guard rail and overturned in the fast lane, the CHP said.
Pierce had pulled over onto the shoulder and crossed the highway to help Jackson and her passenger when a driver in a Jeep Cherokee collided with the overturned pickup and struck Pierce.
Pierce was the only one who died.
The North Sacramento CHP Area will bestow the Certificate of Commendation to Pierce's wife and their children, in a ceremony at the agency's headquarters
Spc. James Roland Ambler III, along with Deanna Bogdan, his attorney from the public defender's office, are photographed Aug. 28 outside the Public Defender's office in Sacramento. Michael Rondou photo
From Andy Furillo:
An Army National Guard soldier pleaded no contest today to a reduced charge of reckless driving in the death of a friend who was killed in a traffic collision three years ago.
James Roland Ambler III agreed to serve 30 days in county jail for the accident in which 17-year-old Arcenio Kenneth Spann was killed on Oct. 2, 2005.
Ambler, 22, had initially been charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. A Sacramento Superior Court jury could not reach a verdict in the case. It voted 9-3 for guilt.
The case garnered some local attention when prosecutors filed a motion that was granted by a judge that barred Ambler from wearing his uniform during the trial.
Superior Court Judge Stacy Boulware Eurie ordered Ambler to begin serving his jail time on Oct. 6.
It was not clear today how the verdict will effect Ambler's scheduled to deployment later in the fall.
From David Richie:
A Labor Day head-on collision on Highway 50 near White Hall claimed the life of Tim Johnson, 53, a well-known California motorcycle rider who chronicled his adventures and the glories of motorcycle riding on his own Web site www.TJAdventour.com.
"The collision is still under investigation," said Officer Sean Ricci, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol's Placerville office.
The collision occurred shortly before noon about a mile east of Ice House Road as heavy holiday traffic streamed down the mountain, Ricci said.
For some reason, the driver of a westbound 2003 Subaru Outback drifted to the right and onto the dirt shoulder, the CHP said. The 66-year-old driver corrected hard to the left, came across the centerline and slammed into Johnson, who was riding a 2001 BMW GS motorcycle eastbound, the CHP said.
Investigators said he may have had a quarter of a second to react.
The impact sent Johnson and his motorcycle over the side of the road and into the canyon. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Ricci said.
Investigators do not believe that drugs or alcohol were factors in the collision.
Johnson, who worked as finance manager for San Jose BMW, was wearing a helmet and protective gear.
"He was known as an AGATT rider - All Gear, All The Time," Ricci said. "He is your million mile guy."
From David Richie:
Citrus Heights police are trying to determine if a recent spike in motorcycle accidents can be attributed to inexperienced riders jumping on bikes to save gas.
The most recent incident occurred about 5 p.m. Wednesday when a motorcyclist slammed into a car making a left-hand turn into an apartment complex on Greenback Lane, east of San Juan Avenue. Eastbound lanes were shut down for about hour and heavy commuter traffic backed up at least a mile.
The 19-year-old motorcycle rider will be cited for excessive speed and riding without a proper motorcycle endorsement on his driver's license, said Sgt. Eric Mattke, police traffic enforcement unit supervisor.
"He was riding it like a rocket up the street," Mattke said. "He told us he was going 40 mph, but the speedometer was pegged at 75 mph when it impacted the car. There was no motorcycle endorsement so we may have an experience problem too."
The motorcycle rider was transported to Mercy San Juan Medical Center, Carmichael, with "road rash" and bruises. Mattke said it was "a miracle" that the rider survived. He was wearing a helmet, jeans and a T-shirt.
Several occupants of the other vehicle, including a baby, were also transported to the hospital as a precaution.
Excessive speed has been one of the common elements in the city's recent rash of motorcycle wrecks. Mattke estimated that his unit has investigated 15 to 20 incidents in the past two months. An analyst is examining the accident reports, looking for factors indicating lack of motorcycle riding experience as another common element.
The Citrus Heights Police Department seeks more information about a traffic accident Wednesday afternoon on Madison Avenue that caused a power outage.
At 3:36 p.m. Wednesday, a tow truck struck two telephone poles after the crash between Mariposa Avenue and Primrose Drive, police officials reported in a news release.
A second vehicle that left the scene may have been involved in the accident, officials said. Any witnesses are urged to call the police department at (916) 727-5500.
From Art Campos:
The California Highway Patrol is looking for witnesses of a June 7 Placer County traffic accident in which a 23-year-old man was killed on Taylor Road in Penryn.
The driver, Kevin Culpepper of Loomis, was in a van, heading west near Callison Road at 3:45 a.m. when he lost control, the CHP said.
The van left the roadway and struck numerous oak trees before overturning and catching fire, said CHP Officer Kelly Baraga.
The CHP is investigating the speed of the van as a possible cause or contributing factor in the accident, she said.
Anyone who may have observed the vehicle prior to or during the accident is urged to contact the CHP's office in Newcastle at (916) 663-3344.
From David Richie:
Morning commute traffic was jammed today as Folsom police dealt with a damaged traffic signal and debris scattered by an early morning hit-and-run near East Bidwell Street and Oak Avenue Parkway.
Folsom police also are continuing its investigation of a fiery rollover crash Sunday afternoon that left two people injured and cut power to sections of the Empire Ranch neighborhood.
A vehicle struck an above-ground utility box in the 3000 block of East Natoma Street about 5 p.m. Sunday. The vehicle rollover and the box caught fire. Residents in the area reported being without power for about 45 minutes.
At some point a resident stopped to help the crash victim and was evidently hit by another vehicle. A police summary notes that the driver of the initial crash and the good Samaritan both suffered "minor injuries" and they were transported to a local hospital.
Officers are still working on their reports and there is no update on the condition of the two accident victims, officials said.
Folsom police have dealt with 19 traffic collisions from Thursday through Sunday, according to incident logs posted today.
Bicycle riders were involved in three of those collisions.
Two bike riders were struck Thursday. The first collision happened about 7:10 a.m. on Iron Point Road and Oak Avenue Parkway. The second car vs. bicycle collision occurred about 3:45 p.m. near Riley Street and Wales Drive. A third bicyclist was transported to the hospital about 5:20 a.m. Friday after being hit near Sibley Street and Levy Road.
More details from David Richie:
