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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol issued a preliminary report on Wednesday night about a crash near Clearlake Oaks that claimed the lives of two people and sent two others to regional trauma centers.
The two-vehicle collision occurred on Highway 20 west of Highway 53 at 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to the report from the CHP’s Clear Lake Area office.
The identities of the two people who died were not released Wednesday night pending notification of kin, but the CHP said both men, aged 58 and 54, were from Clearlake Oaks.
Injured in the crash were Scott Flora, 36, of Ukiah, who was driving a 1964 Toyota FJ40; and his passengers, Santa Rosans Zachary Roes, 30, and 12-year-old Emma Steele-Hunt, the CHP said.
The 58-year-old Clearlake Oaks man was driving a 1974 Ford F350 box pickup truck eastbound on Highway 20 approaching Highway 53, with the 54-year-old man riding as his passenger, the CHP said.
The report said Flora was driving westbound with Roes in the front right and Steele-Hunt seated in the center rear.
The Ford’s driver – who the report suggested may have been attempting to enter the parking lot of the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge – crossed the double-yellow dividing lines into the westbound lane and the Toyota’s path.
The front of the Toyota hit the left front and left side of the Ford, with the collision’s impact sending both of the vehicles into the Moose Lodge entrance, the CHP said.
Steele-Hunt, who the CHP said was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle.
The Ford rotated and struck a sign post before coming to rest on its wheels north of the north edge of Highway 20, with the vehicle facing northwest, the CHP said. The Toyota spun and came to rest in the Moose Lodge entrance, facing north.
Both of the Ford’s occupants were declared dead at the scene, according to the report. The driver was wearing his seat belt but the passenger was not belted.
Flora and Roes were able to get out of the Toyota on their own, the CHP said.
Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown, who was the incident commander, had two air ambulance land in a nearby field, as Lake County News has reported.
The CHP said Flora was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and Steele-Hunt to UC Davis Medical Center, both with moderate injuries. Roes had minor injuries; he was treated and released at the scene.
The collision’s exact cause remains under investigation, the CHP said.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A vehicle collision near Clearlake Oaks on Wednesday evening claimed the lives of two people.
The crash, which occurred near the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 53, was reported just after 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to radio traffic.
Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown and Lake County Fire Protection Chief Willie Sapeta both were on scene, along with paramedics and firefighters from their districts, a Cal Fire battalion chief, the California Highway Patrol and Lake County sheriff’s deputies.
Brown, who was incident commander, said the crash involved a Jeep and what he said was a bobtail truck, which he described as a small moving van-type vehicle.
There were five patients with critical or major injuries, according to initial reports from Sapeta, who oversaw operations at the scene. Three of the victims were said to be unresponsive when firefighters arrived.
Brown said the two people killed in the crash were in the bobtail truck. The three surviving crash victims were in the Jeep.
He requested two air ambulances and REACH 6 and CalStar 4 responded, setting down at two separate nearby landing zones in the field between Highway 20 and Highway 53.
Brown said a 12-year-old girl who had been in the Jeep was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, while the male driver was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial. A third patient from the Jeep refused service.
The roadway was reopened shortly before 7 p.m., the CHP said.
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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Local authorities are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a remote area near Lower Lake Wednesday.
The man’s body was discovered in the area of the 23000 block of Morgan Valley and Rocky Creek roads late Wednesday morning, according to reports from the scene.
A neighbor was reported to have found the man on the ground next to his pickup.
Reports from the scene indicated both the man and the vehicle were covered in blood.
Lake County Fire Protection District firefighters initially responded to the location minutes before noon on the report of an assault victim. En route at the same time were several Lake County Sheriff’s units.
Fire officials reported staging at an access road to a residence just after 12:15 p.m.
The fire response was canceled by Central Dispatch shortly before 12:40 p.m. after it was confirmed that the man was dead.
Sheriff’s officials were reported to still be in the area late Wednesday afternoon.
Additional details were not immediately available from local authorities.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several crashes were reported along the Northshore on Tuesday as the season’s rainy conditions continued.
The California Highway Patrol reported that the wrecks happened along Highway 20 throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
A solo pickup rollover was reported just after 4 p.m. near Paradise Cove. The CHP said minor injuries resulted.
Another minor injury crash occurred less than an hour later, just before 5 p.m.,when two vehicles crashed on Highway 20 at Verna Way near Glenhaven, the CHP said.
Kelseyville resident Tera Means was driving toward Glenhaven when she came upon the crash, which she said involved a blue Scion and a white Chevy.
Means said the driver of the Scion stated that he had lost control and hit the other vehicle.
She said two elderly men in the Chevy were uninjured and the son of the man driving the Scion had some minor injuries, mostly scratches from the seat belt. Means, who has first aid training, didn’t see any other injuries.
The greatest danger at the time, she said, was that the two vehicles were blocking the highway. She told the crash victims they needed to get out of the road for their safety.
“As I said that, cars were screeching to a halt,” as they came around the bend, she said.
The CHP said a noninjury crash also occurred on Highway 20 near Walker Ridge Road shortly after 7:30 p.m. Details about that crash were not immediately available.
Due to the wet weather, there were CHP reports of rock and mudslides on Highway 175 and a tree down blocking the road at Crystal Lake Way in Lakeport.
A major injury crash that occurred at around 2 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 53 sent three to the hospital, as Lake County News has reported.
Based on the CHP report on that wreck, the cause appeared to be based on one driver’s failure to stop rather than weather conditions.
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