Roseville man dead, passenger hospitalized as BMW veers off Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova
A Roseville driver was killed and his passenger seriously injured Monday morning, after an SUV veered off Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova, crashing into trees and a vacant office building. A dog in the vehicle also died, authorities said.
Officials with the California Highway Patrol said the crash happened roughly 15 minutes after its dispatchers received calls of a vehicle, described as a silver BMW X5, driving recklessly on eastbound Interstate 80 at the Yolo Causeway, some 20 miles west of the eventual crash site.
CHP East Sacramento spokesman Officer Trenton Senter said the initial reckless driving call came in around 6:35 a.m. Shortly after 6:50 a.m. CHP officials received reports that a BMW matching the description of the earlier calls had been involved in a crash on eastbound Highway 50, just west of Sunrise Boulevard.
“Essentially, that BMW veered off the right shoulder of the road and struck numerous trees and also a vacant building” in the 10900 block of Sun Center Drive, Senter said.
The driver, described as a 39-year-old Roseville man, and his passenger, a 36-year-old Oxnard man, were both transported to a hospital with “major” injuries, Senter said.
The driver died of his injuries at the hospital, Senter said. His identity will be released by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office pending notification of family.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District in a social media post said a dog was also found dead in the vehicle. Senter confirmed a deceased dog was located.
Drugs and/or alcohol impairment are being investigated as contributing factors in the fatal crash, which remains under investigation, Senter said.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, authorities said.
A photo posted by Metro Fire showed the BMW crumpled and with most of its roof sheared off, with firefighters and CHP officers sifting through debris strewn in the nearby lawn and tanbark of the vacant business.
This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 10:48 AM.
