CHP Officer Steve Tanguay said three people were transported to area hospitals in the wake of the crash, which resulted in a hazmat cleanup and roadway shutdown lasting until just after midnight Wednesday morning.
At 3:20 p.m. Tuesday, 59-year-old Kirby Brown of Temecula was driving a 1983 motor home eastbound on Highway 20, east of New Long Valley Road, when the motor home began having mechanical problems, Tanguay said.
CHP Sgt. Scott Moorhouse, who worked as an incident commander on the scene, told Lake County News that the hood on Brown's motor home dislodged and smashed into the windshield.
He said Brown pulled over, but the RV was sticking out about a foot over the roadway's white fogline.
Theodore Smith, 76, of Poway, was driving his 2003 Honda eastbound behind the motor home, Tanguay said. Smith slowed his vehicle and passed the motor home on the left side.
Also traveling eastbound was David Martinez, 38, of Sacramento, in a 2000 Freightliner tractor with trailers. Tanguay said that as Martinez approached where the motor home was pulled over, he saw that it was stopped and applied the brakes of his truck.
When Martinez realized that he couldn't stop in time he swerved to the left and crossed over the solid double yellow lines, entering the westbound lane of traffic, Tanguay said.
The truck collided with three westbound-traveling vehicles – a 1993 Ford pickup driven by Dominic De Lello, 57, of Palo Cedro; 61-year-old Clearlake resident Stephen Snyder's 2002 Acura; and a 2000 Chevy driven by 62-year-old Patricia Howell of Kelseyville. Tanguay said it also hit Smith's Honda.
The Freightliner then veered to the left and struck the guard rail to the north of the roadway, said Tanguay. The truck went through the guard rail and down the embankment to the north of the roadway.
As the Freightliner was traveling down the embankment, it began to overturn. Tanguay said the Freightliner came to rest on its side in Cache Creek.
A number of local agencies swung into action as a result of the crash.
Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Pat Brown reported that Northshore Fire, Lake County Fire Protection and Cal Fire responded, with the districts providing advanced life support before REACH got on scene for transport.
Martinez was transported by ambulance to Saint Helena Hospital-Clearlake for treatment, while REACH air ambulance took De Lello and Howell to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for their injuries, Tanguay said.
Meanwhile, a hazmat operation was under way.
“The main concern was the environmental hazard with the diesel and any of the other fluids,” said Moorhouse.
The fire districts were on scene two hours before Environmental Health and Fish and Game arrived, so Brown said firefighters put in place 1,200 feet of hazmat booms in Cache Creek in an effort to contain the fuel from the pear truck.
Moorhouse said Fish and Game eventually took supervision of the hazmat operation, and shared overall incident command with CHP.
Brown gave special recognition to three Cal Fire engines, a medic rig from Lake County Fire, and four engines, heavy rescue and two battalion chiefs from Northshore Fire District that worked this incident. Like past incidents – such as a Safeway truck that went into Blue Lakes in April – all of the units worked well with CHP, Caltrans and Fish and Game, he said.
It took several hours for two tow companies to pull the tractor trailer out of Cache Creek, Moorhouse said. About 100 feet of guardrail still needs to be repaired, which Moorhouse said will be done by Willits Towing & Recovery. Part of the pear load also needs to be removed.
Moorhouse said he was on scene about 10 hours during the lengthy operation. Five other CHP officers also were on scene throughout the evening, he said.
Tanguay said drugs and alcohol are not considered to be factors in this collision, which CHP Officer Mark Crutcher is investigating.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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