Sleep deprivation and speeding have been cited as factors in a single-vehicle collision that occured Saturday, Aug. 18 near Ployez Winery outside of Lower Lake. The driver and his passenger sustained major injuries.
The Clear Lake area California Highway Patrol reported that 7:17 a.m. Saturday, Rudy Delgado, 19, of Windsor, was driving a 1996 Ford Escort southbound on State Route 29 at a speed of 65 mph in a 55 mph zone. In the right-front passenger seat was 19-year-old James Colucci, a resident of Santa Rosa.
On Friday, Aug. 18, Delgado had been attending the BoardStock XI event at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa. In the 36 hours that preceded Saturday”s collision, Delgado allowed himself to obtain less than three hours of sleep. Delgado fell asleep while driving south on SR 29. The vehicle traveled off the west edge of SR 29 and drove over a wire fence owned by Ployez Winery before striking a pepperwood tree head-on. The 1996 Ford Escort sustained major front-end damage.
Both driver and passenger air bags deployed in the collision. Delgado and Colucci had also been wearing their seatbelts but the Clear Lake area CHP reported that they both sustained major injuries.
Lake County Fire Protection District personnel secured a landing zone for a REACH helicopter, which flew Delgado and Colucci from the scene to U.C. Davis Hospital. Both occupants were reported in critical condition as of Monday, Aug. 21. Alcohol was not a factor in the collision according to the CHP.
