Fatal crash kills 21-year-old Auburn man, closed lanes on Highway 49, CHP says
A fatal head-on collision killed a 21-year-old Auburn man and closed lanes of Highway 49 north of Auburn on Wednesday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred on southbound Highway 49 near Cramer Road around 1 p.m., about 6 miles north of Auburn.
Witnesses told CHP officers that a Volkswagen Golf was driving recklessly, moving fast and using the center turn lane to pass traffic.
As the Golf approached Cramer Road, it suddenly swerved into oncoming traffic, where it hit a Ford F-150 in the rear quarter panel, pushing the Golf directly into an Acura RDX.
The Acura hit the side of the Golf head on, and the two cars skidded to the right-hand shoulder.
First responders from Cal Fire arrived at the scene, where both the driver of the Acura and the Golf were suffering from injuries.
The 21-year-old Golf driver died at the scene, while the driver of the Acura was taken to the a Roseville hospital with major injuries.
The identity of the victim has not been released pending family notification. It is unclear if drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, pending a toxicology report from the Placer County Coroner’s Office.
One lane of traffic was closed in each direction until 4 p.m., Caltrans said.
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 1:49 PM.
