Driver killed while trying to push stalled vehicle uphill on Highway 99 offramp, CHP says
A driver was killed early Monday morning while reportedly attempting to push a vehicle uphill on a Highway 99 offramp, California Highway Patrol officials said.
About 3:45 a.m., CHP officers responded to calls of a single-vehicle collision with one party not moving on the southbound Highway 99 offramp to eastbound Fruitridge Road, CHP South Sacramento said in a news release.
The vehicle had apparently stalled, and the driver coasted on the offramp until the vehicle stopped short of the crest of the hill, CHP said based on physical evidence and witness statements.
The driver and a passenger then exited the vehicle and attempted to push the vehicle up the rest of the hill from the “V” of each door, but the vehicle began to roll backwards, according to CHP.
The passenger was able to evade the vehicle, but the driver became trapped within the “V” of the door as the vehicle rolled off the road and into an embankment, according to CHP. The driver was struck and was pronounced dead at the scene by Sacramento Fire Department personnel.
The passenger was not struck or injured, according to the news release.
The identity of the deceased driver will be made available by the coroner’s office pending notification of family.
The offramp was closed for about two hours, CHP said.
