UPDATE: Victim, 63, killed in deadly crash near Ingot ID’d

UPDATED: Friday, Jan. 10, 10:30 a.m.

See Original Report below.

As CHP’s investigation into last week’s deadly head-on collision continues, officials this morning released the name of the driver who was killed when his delivery van collided with a tractor-trailer combo. The fatal crash, which occurred last Friday, Jan. 3, happened on SR-299E near mile marker 44, just east of Ingot.

Shasta County Chief Deputy Coroner Lt. Randall today identified 65-year-old Tibor Frank Mester, of Bella Vista, as the person killed in the collision, which forced the hours-long closure of the winding, two-lane mountain roadway.

The victim’s next-of-kin has been notified and a postmortem examination will be scheduled, according to Randall; who said the case remains under investigation by California Highway Patrol.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation or who witnessed the deadly crash and has not yet provided a statement to CHP is encouraged to contact CHP-Redding officers at (530) 225-0500. Callers can refer to incident file number 9135-2020-00007 and can remain anonymous.

Original Report: SR-299E closed after deadly crash near Ingot

UPDATED: Friday, Jan 3, 3:40 p.m., With additional details regarding road closures.

INGOT — One person was killed and another injured after a head-on collision involving a delivery van and tractor-trailer combo that were traveling on SR-299E near mile marker 44 this afternoon, Friday, Jan. 3.

The fatal collision forced the hours-long closure of the highway and the closures remained in effect as of this report.

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CHP, Shasta County Sheriff’s Department, Cal Fire, and other emergency personnel were first alerted to the deadly crash about 1:52 p.m., according to a CHP incident log and official radio traffic at the time.

Firefighters who responded from a station just a few miles away arrived at the scene within three minutes of the dispatched call and immediately reported that the driver of a white van had already succumbed to their injuries. Firefighters also reported the victim’s body was trapped inside the mangled wreckage of the van and would need to be extricated from the wrecked vehicle.

Both vehicles sustained major front-end damage and were left inoperable.

CHP and other officials are contnuing to work at the scene of a deadly crash that happened earlier today near Ingot. PitBullFarms Directline DAX photo

CHP’s H-14 arrived less than a minute later and began taking overhead video and photos of the accident scene while providing traffic updates to officials working at the scene of the crash.

Aviation crew members soon updated that the highway was blocked in both directions and that the winding, two lane mountain roadway was impassable due to the wreck and still arriving officials.

Although a medical helicopter was initially requested to airlift any victims, the chopper was later cancelled when it was determined the victim in the van had already passed away and the big-rig driver only sustained minor injuries, CHP’s log indicated.

As the accident investigation was getting underway, CHP’s aviation crew requested Cal Trans and sheriff’s officials to assist with traffic control and to slow down motorists passing Oak Run Rd., after several other near collisions were reported.

CHP soon requested that westbound highway traffic be closed from the lumber mills just outside Burney and that eastbound traffic be stopped at Oak Run Rd.; however, the eastbound closure was later moved several miles further to Deschutes Rd. to allow for emergency crews to continue safely working at the scene.

One way traffic control was implemented around 3:30 p.m., as the accident investigation and clean up continued.

As of this report, officials were awaiting the arrival of coroner officials and two wreckers, which were needed to remove the wrecked van and big-rig from the scene.

CHP’s investigation is active and ongoing at the scene and no further details have been released.

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

This article sponsored by:

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; 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 29 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 16 grandchildren.

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