03 January 2025
Authorities identify woman killed in crash with semi truck
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has identified the Clearlake Oaks woman killed in a Christmas Eve crash with a semi truck.
Frances Cline Novak, 76, died in the wreck, said sheriff’s spokesperson Lauren Berlinn.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said Novak was traveling on state Route 53, south of state Route 20 near Clearlake Oaks in a a 2000 Lexus RX3 when she made a U-turn from the southbound shoulder ahead of a 2015 Peterbilt truck tractor driven by Javier Gomez Jimenez, 57, of Williams.
As a result, Novak’s Lexus was hit broadside by the semi truck, and she died of her injuries at the scene, the CHP said. Gomez Jimenez was not injured.
The crash remains under investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
Author Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has identified the Clearlake Oaks woman killed in a Christmas Eve crash with a semi truck.
Frances Cline Novak, 76, died in the wreck, said sheriff’s spokesperson Lauren Berlinn.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said Novak was traveling on state Route 53, south of state Route 20 near Clearlake Oaks in a a 2000 Lexus RX3 when she made a U-turn from the southbound shoulder ahead of a 2015 Peterbilt truck tractor driven by Javier Gomez Jimenez, 57, of Williams.
As a result, Novak’s Lexus was hit broadside by the semi truck, and she died of her injuries at the scene, the CHP said. Gomez Jimenez was not injured.
The crash remains under investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
