Fatal Accident Closes Interstate 80 Near Soda Springs
SODA SPRINGS (CBS13) — A woman was killed by a car spinning out of control in Interstate 80 in the Sierra on Thursday.
Traffic on I-80 was brought to a standstill after the accident killed the woman near Soda Springs.
It started when a Lexus spun out and someone stopped to help.
"A good Samaritan in an FJ Cruiser stopped to help these folks, get 'em towed out and hooked up to a tow strap," said CHP Capt. Tim Malone.
The man and woman got out of their car as it was being towed out, and then a second Lexus spun out.
The driver and passenger probably thought they were in a good spot standing on the shoulder. But the CHP says when the second car lost control, it slid off the road, hit the female passenger and kept going all the way up to the top of that embankment.
"When that pedestrian was hit, they were thrown 80 to 100 feet from where we are standing," Malone said.
The woman died at the scene. The driver survived, but a language barrier hampered investigators.
From what they gathered, the woman may have just arrived from China on Thursday and was heading up to ski with family.
As for the driver of the second Lexus, he wasn't hurt. Officers say it appears he may have been going too fast on an icy road.
"It's possible we could determine he was at fault and there was some criminality involved, but we don't know that at this point," Malone said.