LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Cobb man died and his wife was seriously injured in a head-on crash Tuesday near Lakeport.
Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office identified Darryl Patrick Prather, 64, as the man who died in the wreck.
His wife, Lela L. Prather, 63, suffered major injuries in the wreck, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred just after 1 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 29 north of 11th Street.
The CHP said Daniel O’Neil Long, 30, of Ukiah, was driving a 2013 Ford pickup southbound on Highway 29 with 3-year-old Madison Long, also of Ukiah, in the pickup with him.
The report noted that roadway conditions at the time were wet, but on Wednesday the CHP did not yet have speed estimates for the vehicles.
For reasons that the CHP said remain under investigation, Long lost control of his pickup. He allowed the pickup to cross over the center median into the opposing lanes of traffic, where Darryl Prather was driving a 2011 Subaru northbound with his wife as his passenger.
When Long came into the northbound lane, Prather attempted to avoid colliding with the pickup by swerving to the right but was unable to avoid a head-on crash, the CHP said.
The fire department’s radio reports from the scene said the two vehicles were found down an embankment after the wreck.
Prather died of his injuries at the scene, while his wife had major injuries to her chest and head and was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment, the CHP said.
Neither Long nor the young girl in the pickup with him sustained injuries in the wreck, according to the report.
The CHP said no alcohol or drugs are suspected as factors in the crash.
Editor’s note: The family has provided a different spelling of Darryl Prather’s first name than that which originally was provided by the sheriff’s office. The article has been updated to reflect the spelling reported by the family.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Tuesday crash claims life of Cobb man, seriously injures wife
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On