Wet Weather May Have Played Role In Davis Crash That Killed 1-Year-Old
DAVIS (CBS13) - As a family remains in mourning, CBS13 is learning more about how a one-year-old baby girl was killed in a three-car crash on Interstate 80 in Davis.
The child and her parents were heading eastbound near Richards Boulevard when they crashed, setting off a chain reaction involving two trucks.
The three-car crash shut down I-80 for hours.
Good Day Sacramento Photojournalist Dave Grashoff arrived at the scene to learn a family of three was in a mangled sedan sitting in the middle of the freeway. A one-year-old baby girl was ejected and died at the scene.
"As I walked up, somebody said, 'She's under the truck and I think it was a little girl,'" Dave said early on at the scene.
Hours later, driving on I-80 eastbound, the damage left behind shows how this tragedy played out.
Video shows where one of the cars hit the side guardrail, and where the family sedan first hit the center divider. A chain reaction followed: A box truck and a pick up then smashed into the family car.
The California Highway Patrol is now pointing to dense early morning fog as what could have played a role in the crash. Erik Caswell with A1 Driving School says the issue now for many drivers is wet weather.
"Not only are we dealing with visibility as an issue, but that moisture can deposit on the roadway," he said.
How can you navigate safely through valley fog?
Caswell says leave yourself more time, drop your speed, stay to the right side of the road, use your low beams, and turn on your fog lights if you have them. Be sure to double the distance with the car in front of you, and if the fog is too much, get off the road.
"It's not worth your life," he said.
The box truck driver wasn't hurt, and the pickup truck driver suffered minor injuries. The CHP says alcohol and drugs don't seem to be a factor.
Both parents are now recovering in a local hospital while dealing with the loss of their little girl.