A man was seriously injured on Highway 50 near Twin Bridges in El Dorado County while attempting to chain up his vehicle's tires, according to the California Highway Patrol. The CBS Sacramento report mentioned that the incident occurred on the eastbound side of the highway, as the man parked his silver Nissan Rogue and was fitting chains on the left rear tire. The family inside the Nissan, which included three young children between the age of 2 and 10, and an adult woman in the front passenger seat, were reported to be uninjured.
In a seemingly separate but identical incident detailed by KCRA 3, a 54-year-old male was hit and pinned by an 18-year-old driver who apparently failed to adequately slow down to the 25 mph speed limit. This driver was traveling between 45 and 55 mph at the time of the crash. The impact caused the man to be thrown up in the air, while his vehicle was pushed against the guard rail.
The driver of a red Subaru Impreza, reported to be moving at about 45-50 mph, lost control and swerved onto the shoulder, colliding with the man and his vehicle, as noted by the CHP and reported by CBS Sacramento. The Subaru driver, along with two passengers, were unharmed and remained at the scene, cooperating with officials. DUI was not considered to be a factor in this collision.
The man who was fixing the tire chains suffered major injuries and was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. In a disturbing echo of events, the KCRA 3 coverage specified that the man's wife and 10-year-old son were also hospitalized with minor injuries. The eastbound section of the highway where the accident took place had to be shut down for around an hour as emergency crews attended to the scene. Despite the gravity of the accident, the teenage driver of the Subaru has not been arrested or cited as of the latest reports.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
