One Killed in Eureka Area Highway Crash
One person reportedly lost his life during a Eureka area highway crash on Monday, August 24, 2020. California Highway Patrol (CHP) has reported that the accident occurred just south of Orleans and took place during the afternoon. Additionally, the crash resulted in a small fire. However, local firefighters were able to control the blaze. Humboldt County authorities are currently withholding the decedent’s identity pending family notification. An investigation into this incident is ongoing.
Crash Details
The collision happened at around 2:30 p.m. on Highway 96, in a rural area a few miles northeast of Eureka. Details about the events leading up to the crash have not been made available. However, CHP indicated that a van drove off the highway near mile marker 34 and traveled around 200 feet down a steep embankment. Reportedly, the driver of the vehicle was the only individual located at the accident scene and was sadly pronounced deceased on-site.
Response
Multiple agencies responded to the accident, including CHP as well as the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, US Fish and Wildlife, the Orleans Fire Department, Hoopa ambulance, and the US Forestry Service.
Responders determined that the vehicle had caught fire and was leaking oil into a stream at the bottom of the embankment. Personnel from Forestry and Orleans Fire response teams rappelled down the embankment in order to fight the flames with a hose. However, ground responders were unable to control the fire and a helicopter was called in. Reportedly, the fire helicopter made several dumps in order to dampen the blaze to a point where it could be controlled by the ground crew.
Investigation
While preliminary investigations were conducted at the accident scene, police have indicated that they do not know what caused this accident. Solo-vehicle collisions can be caused by a number of common factors and many crashes involve more than one cause. Furthermore, car accidents are frequently caused by things such as issues with roadway safety or defective car parts.
Furthermore, police often have a difficult time investigating fatal crashes because they are unable to ask the involved parties about what took place. For this reason, it’s important to work with a wrongful death lawyer who has experience conducting private accident investigations. Your attorney will be able to commit their own resources to conduct a thorough investigation and make sure all at-fault parties are held accountable.
Calling an Attorney
Losing a loved one can cause tremendous pain, especially after a sudden accident. Not only do families need to process their grief, but they are also often left with serious financial problems related to their loss. Issues like lost income and services or funeral expenses can leave people unable to focus on the important tasks of healing and spending time with their loved ones.
In order to ensure that you and your family have financial security during a difficult time, you should make sure to get in touch with an attorney as soon as you are able to, following a fatal crash. Often, families are able to claim full compensation for economic and personal damages by pursuing wrongful death claims.
Other Blogs by Ed A. Smith, Eureka Wrongful Death Lawyer
- Pregnant Woman Harmed During Eureka Collision
- What is a Eureka Wrongful Death Lawyer?
- Collision in Eureka Leaves Four Injured
Eureka Wrongful Death Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Eureka wrongful death lawyer. An auto accident can be a tragedy. If you would like free, friendly advice about your collision case, please reach out to me at either (707) 563-1900 or (800) 404-5400.
My team and I have been helping families recover wrongful death compensation in Eureka for 38 years. To learn about my work, you can read through my prior settlements and verdicts or visit these websites to find my client reviews:
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