Road rage may have led to Oak Run head-on crash, jack-knifed big-rig

UPDATED: Thursday, Sept. 6, 5:43 p.m., With additional details and information

UPDATED: Thursday, Sept. 6, 1:25 p.m., With lane closures updated

See original story below.

OAK RUN —  Officials updated shortly before 1:20 p.m. that both directions of travel on SR-299 were re-opened and the victims had been transported from the scene and were headed to Mercy Medical Center in Redding. One of the victims was life-flighted while the other was transported by ground ambulance, according to a family member of the two elderly victims.

Although the family member requested to remain anonymous at this time, he said he was “so grateful” and appreciated the kindness and efforts of those who stopped to help his parents, one of whom is now in intensive care.

Although CHP’s incident log indicated that at least one caller reported a possible road rage incident may have led to this crash, CHP is still working to determine the cause of the wreck; as it is still unknown what caused the big-rig driver to begin swerving as the Mitsubishi was passing it.

Gary Stens, of Redding, later said he witnessed the end of the crash and from his vantage point he believed the semi driver had possibly been trying to warn the passing sedan of the big-rig heading the opposite direction.

CHP has not yet released any information regarding this crash, and their investigation is ongoing.

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

 

Original Story

OAK RUN — Emergency personnel are at the scene of a head-on collision between a big-rig and passenger vehicle on SR-299, near Round Mountain and one mile east of Oak Run Rd.

According to a CHP incident log, at least one person who called 911 reported that the crash may have been preceded by a road rage incident.

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CHP and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the crash about 10 a.m., after receiving multiple calls reporting the accident. 911 callers reported the wreck happened when a red Mitsubishi Lancer attempted to pass a big-rig.

At least one caller reported that as the eastbound sedan was passing the big-rig, the semi-truck began swerving back and forth, and the sedan was forced into oncoming traffic, where it plowed head-on with another tractor-trailer semi-truck.

The accident caused one of the big-rigs to jack-knife, leaving both directions of travel blocked. Traffic quickly backed up several miles in both directions, creating a traffic nightmare for commuters and area residents.

Within minutes of the wreck, an off-duty Redding PD officer reported they were on scene and described two elderly victims were injured and were complaining of chest pain.

When officials arrived at the scene they reported that the big-rig had sustained major front-end damage and requested CalTrans to the scene to assist.

It was not immediately known if anyone else was injured in the crash, but officials have reportedly requested an air-ambulance to the scene to life-flight at least one of the involved victims.

Officials are currently waiting for tow vehicles, but tow drivers were reporting being stuck in heavy traffic caused by the wreck, as well as all the traffic caused by the nearby Delta fire, which forced all I-5 traffic to be re-routed onto highways 299 and 89.

One area resident who witnessed the crash and stopped to help the elderly victims later told SCNS, “It was amazing to see complete strangers band together to keep the couple stable.”

“People are driving like asshats right now to be honest, but I have no idea if that was the cause in this accident,” the woman, who requested to remain anonymous, explained. “It’s better to stay calm and be patient than endanger someone else’s life. Things may take a while so just be prepared. Accidents only make the whole situation worse.”

Officials reported that the eastbound lanes of travel had re-opened shortly before noon.

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

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TRAFFIC ALERT: SR 299 East – Roadway BLOCKED at Round Mountain due to a two vehicle collision with a jack-knifed big rig.

— Caltrans District 2 (@CaltransD2) September 6, 2018

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

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.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.