Spuds almost mashed in I-5 smash

Glenn County Observer

The potatoes had eyes, but thick fog prevented them from seeing what was about to hit them on Interstate 5 early Thursday morning.

According to the Willows Area Office of the California Highway Patrol, at about 12:26 a.m. on December 19, Benjamin Garcia, 46, of Willows, was driving a Chevy Colorado north on I-5, north of County Road 33.

At the same time, Jagjeet Singh, 29, of Tracy, was driving a 2020 Freightliner Cascadia south in the same area of I-5, when the Chevrolet crossed the center median and entered the southbound lanes.

Garcia’s Chevy collided head-on with Singh’s Freightliner.

The impact spread oil and debris across both lanes of southbound I-5. The CHP’s press release said none of the debris consisted of potatoes, but a call from The Observer to the Willows headquarters revealed that while the Freightliner was indeed transporting potatoes, none of them had actually spilled onto the freeway.

Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident. Garcia sustained only minor injuries and was not hospitalized, while Singh was apparently not injured at all.

Southbound I-5 was closed north of Road 33 while emergency personnel worked to remove the vehicles and clean up the debris. Traffic was diverted off the freeway at County Road 27, over to Highway 99, and back onto I-5 at County Road 33.

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.