LAKE COUNTY ? Traffic was delayed for most of the day on Highway 20 near Mid Lake Road after a Safeway big rig drove over a brush-covered embankment and landed in Blue Lake early Wednesday morning.
Stockton resident Pedro Diaz-Guevara, 39, was driving the truck west on Highway 20 shortly before 4 a.m. when he hit the steep, dirt embankment on his right, sending the truck across the road and into the lake, according to California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer Adam Garcia.
“He had just dropped off a load at Safeway in Lakeport and was going to Ukiah to finish the rest of his load, he hit the embankment, bounced off the embankment and then went into the lake,” Garcia said.
Diaz-Guevara was flown by REACH helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial with moderate, non-life-threatening head injuries, according to Garcia, who was at the scene. Garcia said members of the Northshore Dive Team had to help Diaz-Guevara out of the cab, which had filled with water up to the driver”s neck. The reason Diaz-Guevara hit the embankment is still under investigation, according to Garcia.
Diaz-Guevara”s condition was “fair” Wednesday afternoon, according to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital spokesperson Priscilla Locke.
Traffic was restricted to one lane along Highway 20 near Mid Lake Road for more than 12 hours while authorities worked to pull the rig out of the lake. The trailer was out of the water by 3 p.m.; authorities worked for another hour and a half to remove the tractor. The roadway was clear at 5:16 p.m.
The delay was caused by the need for a Hazmat cleanup in the water, according to Garcia. He said an unknown amount of engine oil spilled into the lake, and Hazmat responders from multiple agencies worked carefully to prevent approximately 100 gallons of diesel in the truck”s fuel tank from spilling into the lake.
“We want to minimize any further hazardous material spilling. If they pull it (the truck) up and it falls back, it”s going to do more damage, so recovery is going to take a lot longer,” Garcia said at the scene.
Hazmat responders used boons to create a floating barrier around the truck to contain the oil.
The CHP led the Hazmat team, which included the Lake County Office of Emergency, California Department of Fish and Game, Northshore Fire Protection District, Lakeport Fire Protection District, CAL FIRE and the National Response Center. Caltrans was also on-scene.
Additionally, CHP officer Steven Tanguay said Safeway sent its own Hazmat team to aid in the cleanup. Safeway spokesperson Espe Greenwood said no diesel spilled into the lake.
Konocti Conservation Camp prison crews were at the scene to clear brush that was damaged when the truck went over the lakeside embankment.
The truck”s only remaining cargo consisted of approximately four palettes of produce, according to Garcia.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
