Downed power lines, a smoking truck, smell of natural gas: reports detail fatal Oildale crash
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The chase was over, but the danger wasn’t.
The stolen pickup had barreled down an Oildale alley and crashed into another truck then slammed into a pole, knocking down power lines and sending sparks flying, according to reports filed by sheriff’s investigators.
Smoke rose from the pickup’s center console, the engine still running. A broken sprinkler poured water that puddled near the loose power lines. The smell of gasoline and natural gas combined for a potent, alarming odor.
Two people were trapped in the truck, and time was running short.
“At this point I believed the smoke emitting from the dash of the truck was due to a fire inside and would ignite the gasoline or natural gas in the air,” wrote a sheriff’s deputy at the scene.
He used a crowbar to pry open the hood but was unable to remove the battery or otherwise stop the motor.
Moments later, firefighters arrived and rescued and began treating the truck’s occupants, who were rushed to a hospital, the reports say.
The passenger, Renee Anette Stansbury, 38, was pronounced dead at Kern Medical.
The driver, James Everett Thomas, 35, survived and has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. Suspected methamphetamine was found in his pants pocket, the reports say.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled this week.
The occupants of the other truck were uninjured with the exception of a scratch to a passenger’s knee, according to the reports.
The events leading to the crash began about 8:56 a.m. on Sept. 22 when deputies received a notification that a stolen brown Chevy Silverado had been seen in the Oildale area.
Soon after, two deputies driving in a department-issued Ford Explorer in the area of East Roberts Lane and Wisteria Street saw a truck matching that description. They followed, caught up at the intersection of North Chester Avenue and Decatur Street and got a look at the license plate, according to the reports.
The deputies continued to follow while checking with a dispatcher; they were told the license plate matched that of the stolen vehicle. They activated the Ford’s overhead lights, and the chase was on.
“As soon as I activated my overhead lights, the truck made a westbound turn into the alleyway between Decatur Street and Lincoln Avenue and suddenly began to accelerate at a high rate of speed,” one of the deputies wrote.
The Ford followed but had to slow down as the Chevy raised a cloud of dust, hampering visibility. A deputy wrote they were about to end the chase because they lost sight of the truck.
Then they came upon an indication the pickup may have crashed.
“As I was about to terminate the pursuit, I noticed a tower pole with electrical parts at the far end of the alleyway suddenly begin to spark violently and one of the power lines had fallen,” the deputy wrote.
Upon continuing westbound, they came upon a red pickup in the roadway with front-end damage and, further on, the brown Chevy. Rescue efforts then commenced. PG&E officials arrived to handle the electrical hazard and make sure the scene was safe, the reports say.
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