Crash down Interstate 80 embankment in Nevada County leaves driver dead
A driver died after being ejected from a vehicle in a crash down an embankment off Interstate 80 in Nevada County, authorities said.
At about 5:10 p.m., the California Highway Patrol said it responded to eastbound Interstate 80 near the agriculture station, located just east of Truckee, for a single vehicle crash.
Officers said a Saturn VUE was heading east when it left the roadway for unknown reasons, crashing down an embankment.
The driver was ejected from the vehicle about halfway down the embankment, and the vehicle came to a stop on Union Pacific railroad tracks and caught fire.
Authorities said the driver was dead upon arrival. Their identification has not been released.
A lane of Interstate 80 was closed for a couple of hours for the vehicle recovery, which was hauled away by Union Pacific.
The railroad tracks were not damaged.
Cal Fire, the Truckee Fire Protection District, the U.S. Forest Service and the Nevada County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene.