LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Willits man who was critically injured in a Sunday afternoon three-car wreck in the Blue Lakes area has died.
The 44-year-old man’s name has so far not been released pending notification of next of kin, according to local authorities.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said the crash occurred at approximately 4:11 p.m. Sunday on Highway 20 at Blue Lakes Lodge.
The Willits man was driving a 1991 Toyota pickup eastbound on Highway 20, just west of Irvine Avenue, at approximately 50 miles per hour, the report said.
At the same time, 57-year-old Gabriel Gutierrez of Kelseyville was driving a 2000 GMC Sierra westbound in the same area at approximately 45 miles per hour with 52-year-old Blanca Damaz of Kelseyville riding as his passenger, the CHP said.
Phillip Nasca, 51, of Eureka was driving a 2014 Dodge Ram 2500, also headed westbound, at approximately 40 miles per hour, directly behind Gutierrez’s GMC, with passenger Mia Nasca, 24, of Eureka, according to the CHP report.
The CHP said that, for reasons yet to be determined, the Willits driver allowed his Toyota to veer across the solid double yellow lines into the westbound lane and sideswiped Gutierrez’s GMC, which spun out on the north side of Highway 20.
Following the initial collision, the Toyota continued into the westbound lane, where its right front collided with the front of Nasca’s Dodge, the CHP said.
The Willits driver’s Toyota came to rest on its wheels on the north shoulder of Highway 20 as Gutierrez’s GMC came to a stop, also on its wheels, on the north embankment of Highway 20. The CHP said Nasca’s Dodge pickup came to rest on the north shoulder of Highway 20.
The CHP said the Willits driver was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the collision, however, both Gutierrez and Nasca were wearing their seatbelts, the CHP said.
As a result of the wreck, the CHP said the Willits man sustained major injuries. The other two drivers and their passengers were uninjured and were cleared by medical personnel at the crash scene.
An air ambulance was requested to respond to the scene to fly out the injured driver, however radio reports indicated that the helicopter couldn’t fly due to Sunday’s rainy weather conditions.
Instead, the CHP said the injured man was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport and then transferred to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he died of his injuries.
The CHP said alcohol is suspected as a contributing factor in this collision, which is still under investigation.
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Man dies from injuries suffered in Blue Lakes crash
- Elizabeth Larson
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