- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Covelo man killed in Highway 101 head-on wreck
Pending family notifications, the California Highway Patrol’s Ukiah Area office did not release the names of the five victims of the crash, which occurred at 11:04 a.m. Sunday on southbound Highway 101 north of the Ridgewood scale facility.
The CHP said officers were dispatched to the scene, arriving to confirm that the male driver of one of the two vehicles involved had died.
The 29-year-old Covelo man who died was driving a 2000 Acura Integra northbound in the No. 1 lane at approximately 70 miles per hour, the CHP said.
At the same time, a 29-year-old Olivehurst woman was driving a 2009 Dodge Ram pickup within the No. 1 lane southbound, also at 70 miles per hour, the CHP report said.
For unknown reasons, the CHP said the Covelo man allowed his vehicle to cross over the double yellow lines dividing the north and southbound lanes, heading directly toward the Dodge.
The left front of the Acura hit the left front of the Dodge, causing the pickup to hit a guardrail and overturn, the CHP said.
The CHP said the Acura came to rest on its wheels within the highway’s No. 2 southbound lane, while the pickup came to rest on its roof within the same lane, south of the Acura.
Firefighters helped the Dodge pickup’s driver and her three passengers — a 9-year-old boy and two girls, ages 7 and 4 — out of the truck, the CHP reported.
The pickup’s driver sustained major injuries and was taken to Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital for treatment, as were the children, who the CHP said had minor injuries.
The Acura’s driver was pronounced dead minutes after authorities arrived on scene, the CHP said.
The CHP said the crash’s cause remains under investigation, however, they’ve determined that neither alcohol nor drugs were involved.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the CHP’s Ukiah Area office at 707-467-4420.
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