Driver escapes after fiery wreck off Elk Grove overpass that closed a major roadway
A car burst into flames in a crash off of an Elk Grove Boulevard overcrossing late Thursday that closed a stretch of the boulevard for hours.
The driver escaped injury, said Cosumnes Fire Department officials.
The collision just after 8 p.m. sent the car off of the roadway just east of the crown of the overcrossing and onto a berm. The car landed on its roof and ignited in flames, sparking a small grass fire, authorities said.
The wreck and fire closed the stretch of Elk Grove Boulevard from Four Winds Drive to Franklin Boulevard well past nightfall Thursday, as floodlights illuminated investigators’ work. The overpass was back open Friday.
Marisa Cisneros and her daughter Malina Cisneros were riding their bicycles along the crossing between Four Winds Drive and Franklin Boulevard at the time of the wreck. The mother and daughter were not hurt, and Marisa Cisneros briefly captured the immediate aftermath on her cellphone.
“We were at the top of the overpass, then the cops started coming. (The road) wasn’t even completely blocked off yet,” Marisa Cisneros said from a nearby shopping center on Elk Grove and Franklin boulevards, after crossing the overpass.
Black smoke and flames, then a belching plume of white smoke can be seen in the image as police rush to close the span.
“I saw the smoke in the sky. I was telling my mom, ‘There’s a fire,’” Malina Cisneros said.
Elk Grove traffic worries growing in recent weeks
What caused the wreck remained unclear Friday, but the crash came amid rising concerns over traffic safety in Elk Grove, including on Elk Grove Boulevard. Police have been busy on Elk Grove streets writing hundreds of tickets in recent weeks and have taken to social media to address complaints.
Police have also offered a web link for residents to send complaints to the department’s traffic unit.
“We hear you Elk Grove. In recent weeks, officers have been busy addressing the traffic concerns you have shared with us,” Elk Grove police officials said in a department Facebook post Tuesday.
“We understand that further efforts are required, but we want to assure you that we are actively listening and exerting significant efforts to ensure safe travels for everyone.”
As of Tuesday, Elk Grove traffic officers had handed out 537 citations in a three-week span, according to a department Facebook post, with tickets for unsafe speed topping the list.
The top three locations for traffic violations were Elk Grove Boulevard, Sheldon Road and Laguna Boulevard, three of the city’s main east-west thoroughfares.
This story was originally published June 23, 2023 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Driver escapes after fiery wreck off Elk Grove overpass that closed a major roadway."
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