More Details Released On Old Priest Grade Crash And Emergency Closure

Tuolumne County, CA – The CHP released new details regarding a solo vehicle crash and the emergency closure of Old Priest Grade yesterday afternoon.

CHP spokesperson Officer Steve Machado relays that around 1 p.m. on Thursday, 36-year-old Manuel Taylor of Groveland was driving a 1997 Ford F250 pickup truck westbound on the Old Priest Grade east of Moccasin Switchback Road and Highway 120 at approximately 25 miles per hour. He states, “Taylor applied the brakes to slow down; however, the pickup accelerated to approximately 35 miles per hour. He then steered his vehicle towards an embankment to slow down, and as a result, the left front of the vehicle struck it and overturned.”

As earlier reported here, the load Manuel was hauling, which included nails, spilled across the roadway. The truck also leaked oil and other hazardous fluids onto the roadway, and the wreckage blocked the road. That was when Tuolumne County road crews were called in to clean up the debris. They then issued an emergency overnight closure of the grade. Machado says quick work by crews clearing the mess allowed the roadway to reopen late last night.

Taylor sustained minor injuries in the collision and was taken to Adventist Health Sonora for treatment. Macho added, “Alcohol and/or drugs are not determined to be a factor in the crash.”