UPDATE: Excessive speed, intoxication, suspected in fatal McArthur rollover

Writer’s note: A previous version of this report used information gathered from CHP-Redding’s online incident log; which in turn had used appended information gathered from CHP-Susanville’s incident log. CHP later confirmed several time discrepancies caused by delays in information appended from one CHP log to the other.

I apologize for any confusion caused by the earlier report and the time discrepancies.

-TM

MCARTHUR — Details are beginning to emerge after a fatal, rollover accident that killed a Spaulding man and seriously injured his female passenger late Friday evening, Aug. 24. The deadly crash happened within Lassen County, in the 59000 block of Little Valley Rd., just south of Pit River Canyon and about nine miles southeast of McArthur.

Officials later identified 37-year-old, James Clair, and Angel Thompson, 40, of Susanville, as the pair inside the truck when it crashed. Clair was reportedly not wearing a seat belt and was ejected in the rollover. Thompson, who was wearing a seat belt, survived the solo-vehicle accident with serious injuries, according to California Highway Patrol.

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CHP, Cal Fire/Lassen-Modoc, and other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the area after 911 callers reported the solo-vehicle crash. Callers reported that the driver of the vehicle, later identified as Clair, had already succumbed to his injuries and that Thompson had been transported to 539850 Little Valley Rd., according to CHP’s log.

Before officials arrived, Cal Fire reported hearing “yelling and cussing” in the background during one of the 911 calls and at around 11:15 p.m. fire officials at the scene requested Lassen County law enforcement officials expedite their response to help break up a fight between the “involved parties.”

Based on Thompson’s injuries, officials requested a Mercy Air Ambulance respond to the scene and the woman was eventually flown to Mercy Medical Center for treatment. Her current condition has not been updated and was not immediately available.

During CHP’s subsequent accident investigation, officers determined Clair was driving a 2001 Dodge 1500 pickup northbound on Little Valley Road at a high rate of speed just before the accident.

CHP’s investigation indicated Clair drifted onto the dirt shoulder while negotiating a curve in the roadway, causing the Dodge to lose control and roll several times, at which time the unrestrained driver was thrown from vehicle.

The wrecked Dodge was eventually towed and stored as evidence related to the deadly crash.

CHP’s investigation is active and ongoing.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.