District: District 3 - Marysville
Contact: Raquel Borrayo
Phone: (530) 634-7640; (530) 701-5209
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Marysville — Caltrans District 3 was saddened to report seven fatalities from three separate multi-vehicle collisions on California state highways between midnight and 6 a.m. on Friday, August 23.
Our thoughts go out to the families of the victims as they grieve the loss of their loved ones. While the causes of these crashes are still under investigation, Caltrans would like to remind motorists to drive safely on highways and local roads.
We encourage motorists to be alert, especially when travelling through work zones, and remind motorists not to use electronic devices while driving. A life taken due to distracted driving is not worth checking a text from a friend or the number of likes on a photo of your furry friend. Please also pull over to a safe area off the highway if you are feeling groggy and need to rest.
In addition, shortly before midnight on Thursday, a truck hauling an excavator struck the Highway 70 overpass at Garden Drive in Butte County, causing structural damage and forcing a closure of the highway for emergency repairs. This is a reminder to be aware of clearance limits when hauling/towing something that may be over standard height limits.
Caltrans is grateful to its partners at CHP and the other emergency responders who arrive at each incident on the highway. Our goal is to have each traveler arrive safely and without incident to their destination, but we need the help of the traveling public to achieve this goal.
As we head into the Labor Day holiday weekend, we encourage motorists to think about this message and share with each driver in their household. Together, we are making California’s highways safer.
Caltrans District 3 maintains more than 4,385 lanes miles of state highway in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties. The department issues updates about road conditions on Twitter and on Facebook. For real-time traffic information, go to QuickMap or download the free Caltrans QuickMap app from the App Store or Google Play.