Fatal three car crash reported on Highway 49 in North Auburn, says CHP

A woman was killed Friday evening after a head-on crash involving three vehicles on Highway 49 in North Auburn, California Highway Patrol reported.

The 55-year-old woman was driving a 1996 Lexus ES300 southbound on Highway 49 near Joeger Road around 5:10 p.m. at high speeds with no right rear tire, causing sparks to shoot into the air, according to the release.

Two minutes later, the Lexus swerved into the northbound lane and collided head-on with a Hyundai Sonata. The Lexus then spun and was t-boned by a Toyota 4Runner. The driver of the Lexus was ejected from the car and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Sonata was taken to a Roseville hospital with major injuries while the driver of the 4Runner was uninjured. The crash blocked traffic on the northbound side for about three hours. It’s unknown whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash.

In addition to the crash, Cal Fire and Placer County firefighters responded to the scene of a vehicle fire in the left turning lane of eastbound Bell Road near Quartz Drive. The left lane was closed.

This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 6:25 PM.