Saturday, April 4, 2015

DRIVER DIES IN FIERY CRASH NEAR BEALE AIR FORCE IN CALIFORNIA AFTER HIS TRUCK STRIKES A BOULDER





SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

A pickup driver died Friday when his vehicle hit a boulder near Beale Air Force Base and caught fire, the California Highway Patrol said.

The driver, whose name was not released, was heading west on Hammonton-Smartsville Road about 3 miles from Highway 20 when the vehicle drifted off the road at about 4:30 p.m. and struck a boulder, said CHP Capt. Shon Harris.

A witness said "the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames immediately," according to Harris. "The person was still inside at the time."

A driver on Hammonton-Smartsville Road stopped to render aid, but there was nothing he could do, Harris said. A CHP officer also was nearby and tried to help.

"There are boulders all up in there. He hit one in the wrong spot," Harris said.
The captain said the accident reminded him of what happens to a distracted driver, "the type of thing where someone is texting. I can't say he was. It's the same fact pattern."

The CHP stopped traffic at Highway 20 and Hammonton-Smartsville Road, while Air Force police stopped vehicles at the Doolittle Gate. The detours lasted for about two hours, Harris said.
Source: Appeal-Democrat