Yuba County man killed, 3 children injured after speeding Jeep crashes on Highway 70
A Yuba County man died and three small children were injured Sunday afternoon when the driver lost control of his speeding vehicle, struck a dirt barrier and rolled several times along Highway 70 in Olivehurst, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The fatal crash occurred about 2:20 p.m. as the driver was heading north on Highway 70, just south of McGowan Parkway, the CHP Yuba-Sutter Area Office announced in a news release Tuesday evening.
Kala Washington, 46, of Loma Rica was driving a 2005 Jeep with three children from Loma Rica riding as passengers in the vehicle. CHP officials said a 10-year-old boy, a 5-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy were in the Jeep.
The CHP said the Jeep was in the far left lane on Highway 70 and speeding at 90 to 100 mph on a rain-slicked road.
“The driver was traveling at an unsafe speed for the wet roadway conditions and lost control of the Jeep,” CHP officials said in the news release.
The Jeep went off the right side of the road and struck the dirt barrier, which sent the vehicle airborne before rolling over several times, the CHP said.
The driver was ejected from the vehicle because he was not properly wearing a seat belt, the CHP said. He suffered fatal injuries due to blunt force trauma after landing on a dirt field.
The oldest boy in the vehicle suffered moderate injuries in the crash, and the two younger children suffered minor injuries. They were taken to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for treatment. The CHP said the children were released to the care of their mother.
The Yuba County Coroner’s Office will release the driver’s name after his family has been properly notified.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 7:42 PM.
CORRECTION: Initial information about the passengers provided by the CHP was incorrect in a previous version of this story.
