- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Boy Scout leader killed, Boy Scouts among injured in Highway 20 crash in Mendocino County
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Sunday morning crash near Lake Mendocino in Mendocino County left one man dead and injured seven others – including several Boy Scouts on their way to camp.
The crash, involving five vehicles, occurred at 11:10 a.m. on Highway 20 west of Potter Valley Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A 55-year-old man from Newcastle, Calif. – reported to be a Boy Scout troop leader taking members to camp in Willits – was killed and five Boy Scouts traveling with him in his 2003 Honda Odyssey, including his own son, were injured, the CHP said.
Two other drivers, Eugene E. Galletti, 73, of Redwood Valley, and 67-year-old Joan D. Schmidt of Potter Valley, had minor injuries, according to the CHP report, while no injuries were sustained by the two other drivers, Randall K. Johnson, 51, of Ukiah, and Andrew L. Rivas, 22, of Lincoln.
The collision also resulted in an hours-long closure of Highway 20 as emergency personnel responded and the CHP investigated the crash, according to officials.
The CHP said Galletti was driving his 2006 Ford F-250 pickup eastbound on Highway 20 in the No. 1 lane approaching Potter Valley when he failed to realize that Schmidt, who was ahead of him, was almost at a complete stop in her 2011 Toyota Sequoia.
Schmidt was stopping for Johnson, who was preparing to make a lefthand turn in his 2003 Chevy Silverado pickup into a private driveway on the north side of Highway 20, the CHP said.
Johnson had stopped for westbound traffic with his signal activated, directly ahead of Schmidt. The CHP said Galletti’s pickup hit Schmidt’s Sequoia, pushing it forward into the rear of the Interstate trailer that Johnson was towing.
The CHP said it was after that initial impact that Galletti’s Ford pickup was thrown into the westbound lane, where it collided head-on with the Odyssey filled with Boy Scouts members. The Odyssey had been traveling in the No. 1 westbound lane at 55 miles per hour.
Both Galletti’s pickup and the Odyssey spun out, with the pickup stopping in a position where the CHP said it blocked the eastbound lane.
The Odyssey spun into the No. 2 westbound lane and was hit by Rivas’ 2005 Dodge 2500 pickup, which was pulling an Aljo camp trailer, the CHP said.
Rivas’ truck went to the right side of Highway 20, where the trailer struck the guardrail and came to rest, the CHP said.
The Odyssey ultimately came to rest facing south in the No. 1 westbound lane, according to the CHP.
The Odyssey’s driver was declared dead at the scene, while his 14-year-old son was flown to Children’s Hospital and Research Center in Oakland with major injuries. A 17-year-old male juvenile from Newcastle who was in the Odyssey, who also had major injuries, was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.
Other passengers inside the Odyssey transported to hospitals included 18-year-old Anthony Marlatte of Auburn, who had major injuries; 12-year-old Ayden Danovaro of Auburn, with minor injuries; and 17-year-old Garret Boswell of Auburn, taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with moderate injuries, the CHP said.
Galletti and Schmidt were transported to Ukiah Valley Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries. The CHP said Johnson and Rivas were uninjured.
Dennis White of Ukiah, 52, who was Johnson’s passenger; 22-year-old Travis D. Johnson of Ukiah, riding with Galletti; and Rivas’ passengers, 21-year-old Brittany M. Ragoshke of Lincoln and 51-year-old Tammy Rivas of Lincoln, all were uninjured, the CHP said.
All 14 people traveling in the five vehicles were using their safety equipment, the CHP said.
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