NICE – A three-vehicle traffic accident resulting in two fatalities occurred Thursday evening at 5:57 p.m. just East of Ciago Winery on Highway 20 in Nice. Three people were involved, each were drivers of the vehicles and were carrying no passengers. One driver traveling a short distance behind the head-on collision that killed two suffered minor injuries after their vehicle was hit but did not require immediate medical attention and was able to leave the scene later that night after getting picked up by a relative or friend, authorities said.
A REACH helicopter out of Lakeport was called to the scene at 6:06 p.m. after witnesses to the accident called 911, but the helicopter call was cancelled at 6:10 p.m. by officials who arrived on the scene. The road was closed in both directions for several hours; Ukiah traffic was diverted through Lower Lake and Highway 175. Highway 20 was cleared and re-opened at 9:42 p.m.
According to a CHP press release, a driver in a 1996 Ford Taurus was driving West-bound on Highway 20, East of Bartlett Springs Road, at a high rate of speed. The driver, Joan Johnson, 60, of Lucerne, traveled onto the right shoulder while negotiating a curve in the roadway and lost control of her vehicle, crossing across a set of double yellow lines where it collided head-on with a 1987 Mercury Cougar driven by Dawn Anderson, 45, of Upper Lake.
A third vehicle, a 2007 Ford Ranger driven by Colfax resident Gary Harrington, 52, was traveling East-bound on Highway 20 behind Anderson”s vehicle. The front of the Taurus collided with the front of the Cougar and continued out of control where its front end collided with Harrington”s vehicle, the Taurus continued out of control where Johnson was ejected from her vehicle. Both Anderson and Johnson were pronounced dead at the scene. Harrington sustained minor injuries for which he opted to seek his own aid. He complained of pain to his right calf. There were no passengers in the vehicles, and no other vehicles other than the three were involved in the accident.
According to CHP Officer Josh Dye, it is unknown at this point if alcohol was involved in the accident. “Obviously it”s something we investigate in this type of collision, but we don”t know at this time. We”re basically waiting for the toxicology report out of the autopsy,” said Dye.
According to Dye, Harrington was at the scene the majority of the night accompanied by officers while he waited for a ride to come pick him up.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at eawilson@record-bee.com
