Update: Sonora Pass Reopened After Crash Near Tuolumne County Line
Update at 2:15 p.m.: Clarke Broadcasting contacted the Mono County CHP to get further details on a crash last night on Highway 108 in Mono County that closed the roadway overnight and into today.
The wreck happened around 7 p.m. Thursday night about seven miles from the Highway 395 intersection and the Tuolumne County line. Mono County CHP Officer Elena Villa relays that an empty FedEx box truck eastbound on Highway 108 smashed through a guardrail and plunged down a 100-foot ravine, coming to rest in a creek bed. She adds that it is still unclear as to what caused the truck to go off the highway, but notes that it was at a hairpin turn with a steep grade.
The truck driver, 49-year-old Andrew Bosworth from Riverdale, Georgia, was trapped inside the truck and passersby helped to free him. Luckily, he was not injured. Villa further details, “Once brought back up to the roadway surface it caught fire, briefly. They were able to extinguish it quickly. It had leaked some diesel fuel, which created a hazmat situation and we do have a creek that the hazmat went into, so hazmat was on the scene trying to make sure there was no danger to the wildlife and surrounding areas.”
Sonora Pass/Highway 108 was shut down overnight. It reopened to one-way traffic around 11:30 a.m. on Friday and then completely opened to travelers after 1 p.m. The crash remains under investigation.
Update at 1:30 p.m.: The CHP reports that a section of Sonora Pass/Highway 108 in the area of the 395 Highway intersection where a truck crashed down a ravine and shut down the roadway overnight, has reopened and traffic is moving freely.
Original post at 6:34 a.m. written by BJ Hansen: Mono County, CA — There was a big rig crash last night that has temporarily closed Sonora Pass.
The CHP Bridgeport Office reports that the crash occurred in Mono County near the Highway 108 and 395 intersection, and the closure of the pass begins at the Tuolumne County line. You will need to avoid the area. It is unclear when Sonora Pass will reopen. We’ll pass along more information when it becomes available.
