CHP Image
Arnold, CA – A solo vehicle wreck could not be seen from Highway 4 in the Arnold area but once spotted heavy rescue equipment had to be used to retrieve the car and deceased.
While on the scene of another collision just after midnight on Friday (Dec. 10), a CHP officer looked down an embankment to see a sedan 50 feet below. The heavily damaged 1996 Toyota was on its side and resting against a tree just west of Big Trees Village Drive in the Arnold area. CHP spokesperson Toby Butzler detailed that the driver, a 56-year-old Avery man, was unresponsive and trapped inside the vehicle.
Heavy rescue equipment had to be called to the scene to retrieve the vehicle and then extricate the occupant. Once rescued from the vehicle, the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The CHP reported that no other passengers were found in or around the vehicle.
It is unknown when the collision occurred, but the CHP believes it to have taken place the evening before. They are also still investigating whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision. Any witnesses to this crash are asked to contact the San Andreas CHP office at (209) 754-3541.
Written by Tracey Petersen.
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