Tag

Fatal car accident: A 16-year-old girl was killed Friday when a pickup truck struck the side of her car on her way home from Renaissance High School in Watsonville.

• A 16-year-old girl was driving home from school on a rain-slicked road when a full-size pickup truck crashed into the side of her car.

• The teen died at the scene.

• Police said that unsafe speed and slippery roads probably were factors in the accident.

The fatal crash occurred at around 1:20 p.m., according to a Watsonville Patch news report.

California Highway Patrol officer Chris Micheels said the high school student — later identified as Freedom resident Cynthia Madrigal — was driving a late-model Volkswagen Beetle southbound on San Andreas Road at the time of the accident.

The two-lane rural road, which many students use to get back to their homes after school, cuts through strawberry fields and rolling hills. It was wet and slippery because of overnight thunderstorms that soaked Santa Cruz County, according to a report in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

About two miles south of the high school, near Sunset Beach Road, a northbound black Chevy Silverado pickup truck — driven by a 67-year-old Watsonville man whose identity was withheld — slammed into the passenger side of Madrigal’s small car.

Details of what caused the pickup truck to hit the car were not yet clear. CHP investigators did not suspect that alcohol was involved in the accident, but unsafe speed on the rain-slicked roads probably were factors, Micheels said. CHP officials reminded drivers to slow down during rainy conditions and allow more time for travel.

Madrigal had no pulse when emergency crews arrived at the scene. Paramedics administered CPR but were unable to resuscitate the victim. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The pickup truck driver sustained minor injuries, Micheels said.

Students at the high school were devastated by the news of Madrigal’s death, principal Artemisa Cortez said. The school will provide grief counseling services for students and staff on Monday, Cortez added.

Pajaro Valley Unified School District superintendent Murry Schekman said Madrigal was well-liked and would be deeply missed.

“The whole school is very sad,” Schekman said.

On Saturday, friends and schoolmates honored Madrigal with flowers and candles placed at the side of the road where the accident occurred.

Watsonville Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for more than 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A 24-year-old mother was struck and killed Tuesday night in a horrific car accident that has Marysville police investigators scrambling for details.

• A Jeep SUV apparently speeded up to get through a green light and then broadsided a Kia Rio.

• A pedestrian was killed in the wreck. The driver of the Kia was airlifted to a hospital with major injuries.

• Police are awaiting toxicology results to determine whether drugs or alcohol were involved.

The fatal pedestrian accident occurred at around 8:40 p.m. at 10th and F streets, according to a report in the Marysville Appeal-Democrat.

A young mother of a 3-year-old girl was killed and at least four other people were hospitalized.

Marysville police Sgt. Chris Sachs said investigators were trying to piece together the evidence to determine exactly how the deadly wreck happened. There was so much debris at the scene that it was difficult to reconstruct the accident.

“This was one of the worst traffic collisions we’ve had in quite a while because of the number of victims and the amount of damaged property,” Sachs said.

Witnesses Jason Christopher and Holland Yeaton, both Marysville residents, were walking north on F Street when they saw a 2007 Jeep Commander - driven by 21-year-old Aaron Furr of Marysville — speed up to get through the green light.

They said the Jeep started to turn onto 10th Street, but then it swerved to avoid hitting pedestrians in the crosswalk and slammed into the side of a 2003 Kia Rio, driven by Martin Fisher of Olivehurst. At some point during the wreck, one of the vehicles crashed into a utility pole. The Appeal-Democrat described the scene:

The utility pole had been sheared in half, with part of it hanging suspended from the lines and part blocking the left-hand turn and middle lanes of eastbound traffic. Splintered wood, broken glass and pieces of metal littered the intersection.

The scene looked like an explosion, as vehicles flipped over and the power line sparked. Christopher and Yeaton immediately ran over to see if they could help anyone.

“One of the pedestrians [Justin O'Neal of Yuba City] was fine,” Christopher told the Appeal-Democrat. “But he kept asking for his fiancee and no one could tell him anything.”

The fiancee, Terany “Tera” Vessey of Olivehurst, died at the scene. Her father, Scott Widing, said police have explained to family members the investigation was in the early stages.

“It looks like someone was speeding,” Widing said. “It looks like someone was just being really negligent, and it’s just sad that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The victim’s fiance, Justin O’Neal of Yuba City, suffered minor injuries. He was transported to Rideout Memorial Hospital in Marysville, where he was treated and released.

Fisher, who was driving the Kia Rio, suffered major injuries. He was airlifted by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he was listed in serious condition.

Furr, who was driving the Jeep, sustained minor injuries and also was taken to Rideout, where he was treated and released. His 16-year-old brother, who was a passenger in the Jeep, sustained more serious injuries and was hospitalized but no details about his injuries were available. Police said they believed the teen was in stable condition.

Police did not rule out alcohol or drugs as possible factors in the accident. Toxicology tests were ordered and it can take several weeks for those results, police said.

No arrests were made at the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

Marysville Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for more than 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Fatal hit-and-run: Police are looking for a motorist who struck and killed a tow truck driver Tuesday on Interstate 80 in Auburn and then fled the scene.

• A tow truck driver pulled to the side of I-80 in Auburn and exited his vehicle.

• A passing car struck the tow truck driver, pushing him into the door and fender of the truck. The car fled the scene.

• The driver suffered catastrophic injuries. He died at a local hospital.

• The CHP has several leads on the hit-and-run vehicle but is urging anyone with information to call investigators at 916-663-3344.

The deadly freeway accident occurred at 4:15 p.m., according to a report in the Auburn Journal.

A Golden Gate Towing truck was parked on the side of I-80 but partly sticking out into the slow lane near the Ophir Road offramp, just outside of Auburn city limits.

The tow truck driver — 30-year-old David Garfield Robinson Jr., of Citrus Heights — had exited the truck and was standing next to it when he was struck by a passing vehicle, California Highway Patrol officer David Martinez said.

The impact pushed Robinson into the driver’s side door and into the front driver’s-side fender. The driver fled the scene.

Robinson was lying in the right lane when motorist Denisa Duarte drove by the Ophir Road exit. Duarte told Channel 10 News that she saw him there but the traffic was congested and no one appeared to be stopping. She said she pulled over just past the tow truck and called 911.

Robinson suffered catastrophic injuries, Martinez said. Emergency responders took him by ground ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.

The CHP had not yet located any witnesses to the accident, but investigators were examining car parts that may have been left by the hit-and-run vehicle. It may have been a silver sedan, but Martinez said other vehicles were not being ruled out.

“We’re still looking into possible leads,” Martinez said. “As part of the investigation, we’re looking into all the leads we’re getting.”

The CHP is urging anyone who may have any information regarding the collision or a description of the vehicle or driver who fled the scene to call investigators at 916-663-3344.

Auburn Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented hit-and run accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Ski resort fatalities: Skiers rejoiced last week after a storm dumped 6 to 8 feet of fresh snow on some California ski resorts, but the weekend ended in tragedy, with three deaths and an avalanche.

• Three skiers were killed — and two were caught in an avalanche — at California ski resorts on Sunday and Monday.

• Sunday: A skier died after falling into a deep hole at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

• Sunday: A snowboarder suffocated after falling head-first into deep snow at China Peak.

• Sunday: Two skiers were caught in an avalanche at Kirkwood. One was hospitalized.

• Monday: A snowboarder was killed at Sugar Bowl after falling into a tree well.

Sunday: Skier Dies at Sierra-at-Tahoe

A Caltrans worker who was known as an expert skier died Sunday after he fell into a deep hole at the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski area.Steve Hemphill, Communications Manager at Sierra-At-Tahoe, told CBS News that 54-year-old Yiwei Hu from Gold River was found by other skiers shortly after 1:30 p.m. in the Castle Creek area.

Emergency crews said Hu had fallen into a deep hole that was created by an underflow of water. No one knows how long he was in the hole.

Hu was not breathing and was unresponsive when the Ski Patrol arrived. They attempted to resuscitate him but he did not respond. He was pronounced dead on the slope.

A Caltrans senior bridge engineer, Hu was an experienced skier who was skiing within the bounds of the ski run when the accident happened, according to the CBS video report.

Sunday: Avalanche at Kirkwood

Shortly after the fatality at Sierra-at-Tahoe, two male skiers were caught in an avalanche at nearby Kirkwood Mountain Resort. The slide occurred within the boundaries of the Sentinel Bowl ski area, resort officials told Channel 13 News, the local CBS News affiliate.

One of the skiers was able to ski out and alert the Ski Patrol, but the other skier remained trapped in the avalanche, according to a Lake Tahoe News report. Emergency crews were able to free the trapped skier, who was seriously injured.

He could not be airlifted to a hospital, however, because snow was falling all day so helicopter transport was not an option. Instead, Lake Valley paramedics transported the victim by ground ambulance to Barton Memorial Hospital. Alpine County Sheriff’s Department did not release details about the victim’s identity or injuries.

Sunday: Snowboarder Dies at China Peak

At about the same time that the avalanche occurred at Kirkwood, a snowboarder died at China Peak Mountain Resort northeast of Fresno.

A spokesperson for the resort said the 30-year-old male snowboarder fell head first in an open ski area and suffocated in the snow.

The victim, whose name was not released, was in an advanced area by himself when he fell in about five feat of snow. Emergency responders performed CPR but it was too late to save the man. He died at the scene.

Monday: Snowboarder Dies at Sugar Bowl

Sadly, the snow took its toll again on Monday when a 20-year-old snowboarder died after he fell into a tree well at Sugar Bowl ski resort, according to a report in the Sacramento Bee.