HIGHWAY 20 — A fiery crash Wednesday afternoon on Highway 20 resulted in the death of two unidentified males, and seriously injured one man.
“He was on fire,” said Jesse Bowden, 19, of Clearlake, who came upon the crash shortly after it occurred and was able to free one of the victims. “I didn”t think, I just reacted and started to pull one of the victims out of the car.”
According to a CHP accident report, three victims were involved in the fatal collision. The two occupants of the Jeep Cherokee were pronounced dead at the scene. “I was comforting one of the victims when I heard a big explosion,” said Bowden. “One of the gas tanks exploded.”
The driver of the white commercial truck was trapped inside his vehicle, but was eventually extricated and flown to Santa Rosa Sutter Hospital by CalStar.
CalStar air ambulance waited on scene while rescue responders worked to free a third victim who was successfully extricated from his vehicle. The collision occurred on Highway 20 approximately two miles east of the Highway 53 junction where a Jeep Cherokee went head-on with a commercial utility-type box truck. Both occupants of the Jeep died at the scene. On-scene reports indicate that soon after impact, the Jeep had burst into flames. According to Lou Dukes, battalion chief with the Northshore Fire Authority, the driver of the Jeep Cherokee died inside the vehicle. Dukes said that witnesses to the incident reported that the passenger had exited the vehicle, engulfed in flames, and quickly died at the road”s edge.
The driver of the utility truck was conscious when rescue responders freed him from his mangled vehicle. Extrication efforts took about one hour to complete. Identities of all parties involved were withheld at the scene, pending proper notification of next of kin. Personnel from the Northshore Fire Authority, Lake County Fire Protection District, California Highway Patrol, Lake County Sheriff”s Office and Cal Fire, formerly identified as California Department of Forestry (CDF).
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
Editor”s note: Record-Bee staff writer Rene Morales contributed to this story.
