By Larry Judkins
Glenn County Observer
The area around Interstate 5 and County Road 7 was the scene of two nasty vehicle accidents on Friday, May 27.
The first occurred shortly after 9 a.m. on I-5, perhaps about a half-mile north of Road 7. The second happened a little after noon as a vehicle was exiting the Road 7 offramp from northbound I-5, then crashed on the north side of Road 7.
A witness, a private citizen, was outside his residence, standing not far from the roadway at the time of this latter accident. He told The Observer he saw the whole thing.
His statement to this reporter, along with other evidence, indicated that a car left the east side of the offramp, hit the Road 7 embankment, rolled, and came to rest on its wheels on the north side of Road 7, facing south.
At 12:09 p.m., the California Highway Patrol Traffic Incident Information Page indicated that there was an infant in the car, a Volkswagen sedan. The call, originally reported as a traffic collision with unknown injuries, was now changed to a collision with possible injuries.
An ambulance was enroute. Arriving after the ambulance did, this reporter asked an officer how the infant was doing.
The officer answered that he thought the baby was okay. The driver, a woman, also appeared to be okay.
At 1:50 p.m., the CHP again changed the nature of the accident, this time from a traffic collision with an ambulance enroute to a traffic collision with minor injuries. The Volkswagen, on the other hand, sustained major damage, and was eventually towed from the scene by Zips Towing.
At the present time, it is unknown whether the driver was wearing her seatbelts when the crash occurred. However, it could be seen that the airbags deployed.
The first accident happened at 9:11 a.m. The incident was reported to be a “motorcycle versus bushes” (presumably, the oleanders in the center divide) on Interstate 5 in the area of County Road 7.
It was soon found to be on the northbound side of I-5, in the center divide, roughly midway between County Road 7 and the cul-de-sac of County Road 5.
The Corning fire dispatcher requested the FlightCare helicopter be placed on standby. At one point, a firefighter on-scene stated he thought the motorcyclist may have a broken collar bone.
At 9:23 a.m., the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page reported there were “negative injuries” in the accident. The page said only that the bike was a “street-style” motorcycle.
Asked by this reporter about the “broken collar bone,” an officer who had been at the earlier scene replied that the motorcyclist’s collar bone area was indeed “very tender” to the touch. Nevertheless, the request regarding the helicopter was cancelled minutes after emergency responders arrived.
Bambauer Towing removed the motorcycle. By 10:03 a.m., the freeway was clear of crash debris.
The Observer hopes to have updates regarding both these accidents on Tuesday.
The Glenn County Observer 