Fatal Sutter County Collision
On Friday night, October 1, 2021, a man from Vacaville suffered fatal injuries in a Sutter County collision that occurred on Highway 113, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
Details of the Deadly Sutter County Collision
The Yuba-Sutter Area Office of the CHP issued a news release with some details of the incident. Deputies were dispatched to the scene at approximately 8:50 p.m. when several calls came in reporting a collision on Highway 113 north of the town of Robbins.
The responding officers found that two vehicles had collided on the highway in the vicinity of Pelger Road. The involved vehicles were a 2017 Ford Focus and a 2000 Ford F150 pickup truck which had been towing a 20-foot trailer. In the collision, the F-150’s trailer had caused substantial damage, including interior intrusion to the driver’s side of the Ford Focus.
Results of the CHP Investigation
The driver of the Ford Focus was a 27-year-old man from Vacaville. The driver of the F-150 was a 34-year-old man from Colusa. Investigators from the CHP believe that the driver of the Focus had been traveling south on Highway 113 when, for unknown reasons, his car veered over into oncoming traffic. At that time, the Focus sideswiped the F150 that had been heading north on the same stretch of road. Following that initial sideswipe contact, the Ford Focus then crashed into the leading edge of the trailer that was being towed by the Ford pickup.
From the scene investigation, officers determined that the Ford F-150 had been traveling at approximately 55 mph at the time of the crash.
The Condition of the Drivers
Sadly, responding officers found that the driver of the Ford Focus had succumbed to his injuries at the scene. His identity has not yet been released by the Sutter County Coroner’s Office. The driver of the Ford pickup truck remained at the crash site and cooperated with the investigation. He was not found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and did not sustain any serious injuries.
Highway 113 Closed After the Sutter County Collision
Scene investigation and clean-up necessitated the closure of Highway 113 in both directions for approximately two hours. Officers commenced evidence collection and cleared the debris field, which was reported to have been spread out over about 1,000 feet.
Lane Departure Accidents
There are a number of reasons why a driver may veer out of their lane of travel – inattention, fatigue, and/or impairment are a few. When a lane departure occurs on a two-lane highway, the results can be deadly. It is always disheartening to read about fatal accidents such as this one that occurred in Sutter County, especially when we consider that as more and more cars emerge with driver assistance technologies, the number of these types of accidents should significantly decrease.
Most auto accidents, including fatal car crashes, are caused by human error. Driver assistance technologies, which are being installed as standard features on most new cars, will help save future lives.
One such safety feature is the lane departure warning system, which monitors lane markings and issues an alert to the driver if the monitors detect that the vehicle is drifting out of its lane. More advanced lane departure technology will even make a corrective action automatically, rather than just issue an alarm.
Watch the YouTube video. Below is a video posted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety explaining lane departure warning systems.
Yuba City Personal Injury Lawyer
Thank you for reading. I’m Ed Smith, a Yuba City, California, personal injury lawyer. If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile accident that was the result of another driver’s negligence, please reach out to our experienced injury lawyers for free and friendly advice at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400.
Photo: by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash
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