Smartsville man dies in Highway 20 crash
Apr. 17—An 82-year old Smartsville man was killed Wednesday afternoon after his car crashed into the back of another vehicle on State Highway 20, the California Highway Patrol said.
According to the CHP, at about 1:25 p.m. officers responded to a reported crash on Highway 20, near the west side of Penn Valley Drive in Nevada County.
The crash, officers determined, occurred after a 1995 Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by a 17-year old female from Dobbins "slowed to a near stop for an animal in the roadway."
The man from Smartsville, driving a 2000 Toyota Corolla, was traveling westbound behind the Dodge and struck the rear of the vehicle after attempting to slow down, the CHP said. The man suffered major injuries and it was reported that he was not wearing his seatbelt.
Officials said the man died shortly after 2 p.m. at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital in Grass Valley. The 17-year old female was not injured.
The CHP said Highway 20 was partially blocked for about 45 minutes as a result of the crash.
"Neither drugs nor alcohol are considered factors in the crash, however it remains under investigation," officials said.
