Highway 65 crash killed one, overturned a car and started a fire

A Tuesday night collision on Highway 65 that killed one driver and started a vegetation fire was a head-on collision, California Highway Patrol said Wednesday in a news release.

The driver of a 2015 Nissan Altima was driving northbound on Highway 65 near Wise Road in Lincoln about 6:50 p.m. Tuesday when the car drifted into the southbound lane. The Nissan collided head-on with a 2014 Freightliner driven by a 40-year-old Citrus Heights man, according to the news release.

The impact caused the Nissan to travel down an embankment, where it became engulfed in flames; Cal Fire reported a 1.5-acre vegetation fire broke out at the scene, which was extinguished by 7:30 p.m.

The Nissan’s driver, an Orangevale man whose identity has not been released by the coroner’s office, died at the scene, authorities said. The Freightliner driver was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with minor injuries, according to CHP’s collision report.

A Toyota FJ Cruiser driving behind the Freightliner swerved to avoid the crash and overturned, CHP said. A 22-year-old Roseville woman was taken to Sutter Roseville, also with injuries described as minor.

CHP, Lincoln police, Placer County Sheriff’s deputies, Cal Fire, Lincoln Fire Department and Wheatland Fire Department all responded to the scene, according to the CHP report. The incident closed a section of Highway 65 for about four hours; Caltrans tweeted that the roadway reopened just after 11 p.m.

It is not known if alcohol or drugs are a factor in the collision.

The identity of the deceased has not been released by the Placer County Coroner’s Office.