Slow Traffic Continues On Highway 49
San Andreas, CA – A third day of clean up along Highway 49 near Carol Kennedy Drive in San Andreas where a big truck overturned Tuesday morning.
The wreck stemmed from a high speed chase where the drive of a stolen SUV sideswiped the semi. 38-year-old Zachary Gomez attempted to flee the area on foot and was tased by deputies and arrested near the crash site.
Caltrans crews will be clearing away inert agricultural limestone that spilled onto the right shoulder of the roadway all day, according to Officer Rebecca Myers. She explains, “Caltrans has a machine, what they call a ‘super sucker.’ It’s like a huge vacuum sucking up the fine lime dust.” She went on to stress, “It’s [limestone] not hazardous if you’re driving through it. It’s the stuff they use for conditioning soil and it’s just taking a little longer to clear than originally thought.”
Meyers notes that the big rig was towed from the scene on Tuesday. Flaggers are directing traffic at both ends of the one-way traffic control stretch of highway. Motorists should expect delays especially during the evening commute.
Of note, according to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s arrest report. Gomez faces eleven felony and two misdemeanor charges relating to a string of events that led up to the chase and crash. Among the felonies; assault with a deadly weapon not a gun, robbery, false imprison with violence, DUI, hit and run, vehicle theft and resisting arrest. (Click here for more details on the chase and Gomez’s subsequent arrest.)
