CHP Releases New Details On Thursday’s New Priest Grade Crash
Groveland, CA – The CHP has identified the two individuals injured in yesterday morning’s solo rollover crash on New Priest Grade/Highway 120 in the Groveland area of Tuolumne County that resulted in the death of a dog.
As earlier reported, the collision happened around 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, causing a quarter-acre grass fire that was quickly extinguished and a power outage impacting more than 2,100 PG&E customers for several hours. The CHP reports that 71-year-old Vernan Gragg and his passenger, 71-year-old Jane Gragg, both from Mokelumne Hill, and their dog were westbound on the roadway, east of the Old Priest Grade, when the crash occurred.
“Vernan was driving a 2015 GMC 2500 pickup and allowed his vehicle to leave the roadway, striking a power pole,” relayed CHP spokesperson Officer Steve Machado. “After the impact, the vehicle overturned several times down an embankment.”
Both sustained minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to be treated, with him at a Modesto hospital and her at Adventist Health Sonora. Sadly, their dog succumbed to its injuries at the scene. Machado had no further information regarding the dog’s breed or size. He advised that alcohol and/or drugs were not suspected to be a factor in the crash.
