Friday, 30 July 2010 06:15

Calaveras County Experiences 2 Fatal Accidents In 24 Hours

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slide1-calaveras_county_experiences_2_fatal_accidents_in_24_hours.pngCalaveras County – Calaveras County experienced two separate fatal vehicle collisions in less than 24 hours, as confirmed Thursday by the San Andreas California Highway Patrol (CHP). The first collision took place at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday evening on Gold Strike Road just south of Leonard Road near San Andreas. Matt Thien, 21, was operating a 1993 Dodge occupied by Michael G. Thien, 50, and Karen Lundy, 54. Thien, who later admitted to driving while intoxicated, said he observed another vehicle turning onto Gold Strike Road from Leonard Road in front of him. The CHP report said that “due to (Thien’s) intoxication and unsafe speed, he applied (the vehicle’s) brakes and turned into the northbound lane from the southbound lane. Leah Montoya, 30, who was driving a 1999 Mercedes occupied by her 10-year-old daughter Felicia, observed Thien’s vehicle cross the double yellow lane divider headed straight toward her. She applied the brakes and swerved to the right, but the front end of her vehicle struck the front end of Thien’s. Both Michael J. Thien and Karen Lundy died as a result of the accident. Thien was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. A second vehicle collision was reported by the CHP to have occurred Thursday at 6:50 a.m. A driver whose identity has yet to be released was driving a 2005 Pontiac Sedan eastbound on Highway 4 near Brice Station when he crossed over the center divider for unknown reasons and collided with a 2007 Kenworth truck towing a trailer loaded with logs. The unidentified driver “collided with the fourth axle of the driver side of the logging trailer” and suffered fatal injuries as a result. The driver of the truck was uninjured. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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