Woman killed, 4 hurt after speeding car plows into pickup hauling sheep on Sierra highway

One person died and four others were injured Saturday evening after a speeding car slammed into a pickup hauling a livestock trailer carrying a load of sheep east of Nevada City.

A 2002 Acura TL was going too fast along the winding stretch of Highway 20 near Chalk Bluff Road between Nevada City and Emigrant Gap, when it crossed from the eastbound lanes and hit the pickup head-on as it traveled the opposite direction, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release.

The driver of the Acura was seriously hurt and taken to a hospital. The CHP in an update Tuesday identified the driver as 34-year-old Travis Reynaga of Grass Valley.

Reynaga’s passenger, a 37-year-old woman, died in the wreck. Her identity hasn’t been released, pending notification of her family members.

The driver of the Ford F-350, Donald Mayo, 77, of Live Oak, suffered severe injuries. The injuries of his passengers, Denise Mayo, 67, and Matt Perkins, 43, were less serious, the CHP said. Donald and Denise Mayo were taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center. Perkins didn’t require an ambulance ride.

None of the sheep in the livestock trailer were harmed.

Both lanes of traffic on Highway 20 were closed for more than two hours as officers investigated the 6:30 p.m. wreck.

The incident remained under investigation, CHP Grass Valley said Tuesday, and it is not yet clear whether drugs or alcohol were a factor.

This story was originally published June 5, 2022 at 1:25 PM.