UKIAH – An Upper Lake man survived a Tuesday evening vehicle collision that saw his vehicle plummet hundreds of feet down a steep ravine off of Highway 101, claiming the life of a teenage passenger.

Hugo L. Macias Jr., 20, and the 16-year-old male from Laytonville, whose name was not released because of his age, were traveling southbound on Highway 101 in a 1994 Geo Tracker when the crash occurred at around 6:14 p.m. Tuesday, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred in the Ukiah area north of mile post marker 36.01, the CHP reported. Conditions at the time of the collision were reported to be cloudy, cold and dry.

The CHP report said that Macias, who was driving about 55 to 60 miles per hour, suddenly veered off the roadway and continued over the side of the road, plummeting 350 feet down a steep ravine.

Both Macias and his passenger were wearing their seat belts, but the violent nature of the crash – in which the vehicle overturned several times – resulted in the teenage passenger being ejected and sustaining fatal injuries, according to the CHP report.

Macias was flown via REACH Air Ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

{mos_sb_discuss:2}