New Details On Triple Fatal Crash

Tuolumne County, CA — The CHP tells Clarke Broadcasting that the three victims that died this past weekend in a head-on crash along Highway 108 near Jamestown that also ignited a 110-acre vegetation fire are “not locals.”

Officer Nick Norton reports that investigators are still in the process of contacting family members to make sure “who we have are the correct people,” he explains. “They are from outside Tuolumne County, the Bay Area, so we have to work with other agencies to make sure that those confirmations are correct but no local people were involved,” he confirms.

As previously reported, the crash happened Saturday at 4:05 p.m., just west of Tulloch Dam Road, when the driver of a 1997 Honda CRV collided with a 2007 Toyota RAV 4. The Toyota went off the roadway, igniting the brush fire.

Norton adds that victims’ autopsies are underway. He states, “Nothing at the scene suggests that alcohol or drugs were involved, but that will depend on toxicology test results.” The results, to be released in the county coroner’s report, could take two weeks to a couple months, according to Norton.

The crash and fire closed the highway’s eastbound lanes for about four hours, while tow crews cleared wreckage and firefighters addressed the blaze.

Update: The victims were identified on August 20th here.