San Andreas, CA – Three people were injured in two separate crashes over the weekend that also resulted in an arrest for allegedly driving under the influence.
According to CHP San Andreas officials, on Friday afternoon around 4:30 CHP officers arrived on the scene of a two-vehicle collision along Highway 4 in Murphys. According to officials, a crash occurred just east of Ernest Street that tied traffic up for about 30 minutes.
According to the accident report, Claudia Jackson, 69, of Murphys, had been headed east on Highway 4 driving a 2017 Hyundai, which she had brought to a halt while waiting to turn onto Main Street.
At that time, Caitlyn Johnson, 21, of Vallecito, driving east in a 2014 Ford, and saw stopped traffic in front of her too late to avoid rear-ending the Hyundai. She was transported to Adventist Health Sonora for treatment of minor injuries. Jackson also received minor injuries but did not require transport for treatment, according to the CHP. Both vehicles suffered moderate damage.
Neither alcohol nor drugs are believed to have been involved in the incident, according to the CHP, which is using the incident to remind drivers to remain alert for potential traffic hazards; curb speeds when entering towns and also make sure to leave plenty of following distance in between your vehicle and the one ahead of you.
The second collision, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday on Mountain Ranch Road south of Rodesino Road. It involved 22-year-old Steven Compton, of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, who failed to safely negotiate a roadway curve and wound up driving a 2006 Chevrolet down a southbound embankment and overturning.
CHP officials say the vehicle came to rest on its wheels facing east in both the southbound lane and on the embankment and that Compton was taken to Mark Twain Medical Center for minor injuries sustained from the accident as well as arrested by officers for driving under the influence.