Grass Valley Woman, 49, Killed In Head-On Crash Along Highway 49 That Started With Deer Strike
NEAVDA COUNTY (CBS13) — A Grass Valley woman was killed after the pickup truck she was driving struck a deer on Highway 49, causing her to veer into an oncoming tractor-trailer.
California Highway Patrol says the 48-year-old woman was heading northbound on the highway on Tuesday morning when, near Alta Sierra Drive and south of Grass Valley, a deer crossed right into the path of her pickup.
The woman struck the deer and then veered off the into the southbound lane - right into the path of a tractor-trailer hauling about 60,000 pounds of medical supplies.
Neither driver had time to take any evasive action, investigators say. The tractor-trailer crashed head-on into the pickup, launching the smaller vehicle back into the northbound lanes. The tractor-trailer went into he west embankment, then veered across both lanes and blocked the highway.
Officers say the pickup truck driver suffered fatal injuries in the crash. Her name has not been released.
The tractor-trailer driver suffered minor injuries, CHP says, and about 100 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into a ditch after the crash.
Highway 49 reopened around 10 a.m.