A late Wednesday afternoon drive along Highway 49 ended in tragedy when a pickup truck veered off the road and plunged into Deer Creek beneath the Broad Street overpass in Nevada City. The truck landed upside down in the water, and emergency crews had to pull the sole occupant from the wreckage before he was taken by ambulance to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
According to CBS Sacramento, the California Highway Patrol's Grass Valley division said the crash happened shortly after 4:30 p.m. along southbound Highway 49 near the Broad Street off-ramp. Investigators told the outlet that the driver lost control while rounding a curve beneath the overcrossing, crossed into the northbound lanes, went over the off-ramp and then dropped down into Deer Creek.
Where It Happened
The Broad Street off-ramp drops into a tight corridor that hugs Deer Creek and passes under the Highway 49 overcrossing that feeds traffic into downtown Nevada City, city documents show. The Miner's Trail runs along the creek beneath the highway and links the streamside path with Broad Street and the downtown core, according to the City of Nevada City.
Victim And Emergency Response
The California Highway Patrol said the driver was alone in the pickup and that no other vehicles were involved in the crash. Fire crews removed him from the overturned truck in the creek. He was transported to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, where he later died, the CHP told CBS Sacramento. The hospital serves Nevada County residents in nearby Grass Valley.
Highway 49 Safety And Investigation
The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the California Highway Patrol, which has not released further details. Highway 49 has been the focus of recent safety and evacuation-route projects, including plans to add shoulders and a two-way left-turn lane in the Grass Valley to Nevada City corridor, according to the Nevada County Transportation Commission and Caltrans.
CHP has not released the driver's name or other identifying details. We will update this report as officials release more information.
