Rancho Cordova Man Killed In Vallejo Big-Rig Crash On I-80
VALLEJO (CBS SF)-- A Rancho Cordova man died when he was ejected from a big-rig that struck two trees off of westbound Interstate Highway 80 at the Tennessee Street off-ramp in Vallejo.
Adrian Aponte, 19, was killed in the crash, which occurred off of westbound Highway 80 just west of Redwood Road around 3:25 a.m., CHP Officer Andrew Brown said.
Hilario Ramirez, 24, of Sacramento, was driving the 2012 two-axle Freightliner box truck west on I-80. For some reason, he allowed the truck to drift to the right and leave the road and it struck two eucalyptus trees on
the dirt shoulder, Brown said.
Aponte, a passenger in the truck, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the truck. He suffered major injuries and was pronounced
dead at the scene, Brown said.
Ramirez suffered minor injuries and was taken to NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield. Alcohol and drugs are not suspected as factors in the
collision, Brown said.
The crash caused the right saddle diesel tank on the truck to rupture and an estimated 60 to 80 gallons of fuel spilled onto the dirt shoulder, according to Brown.
Caltrans crews responded and contacted a hazardous materials team to dispose of the spilled diesel fuel, Brown said.
The westbound lanes of I-80 were not blocked as a result of the crash and traffic was light early this morning, Brown said.
The slow lane of the highway was closed at 8:30 a.m. for about an hour because of a mechanical difficulty in loading the big-rig on a tow truck, according to the CHP.
The lane was closed again around noon to allow crews to again try to load the big-rig on a truck, CHP officials said.
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