Bicyclists killed when struck by lumber hanging off truck on Silverado Trail in Napa County
Two bicyclists riding on the Silverado Trail in Napa County died Tuesday after they were struck by lumber that had shifted on a truck's flatbed as the vehicle passed them along the roadway, authorities said.
They were identified as Christian Deaton, 52, and Michelle Deaton, 48, both from Portland, Oregon.
The collision happened at around 11 a.m. on the 5300 block of the Silverado Trail. A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol said a 2018 Freightliner truck owned by Central Valley Builders was heading north with a load of lumber that had shifted outside the profile of the flatbed.
"It appeared the load shifted and collided with the bicyclists traveling in the same direction on the roadway," said CHP Napa spokesman Officer Vincent Pompliano.
It was still to be determined why the lumber load had shifted, Pompliano said.
Christian Deaton died at the scene while Michelle Deaton was taken to a hospital where she died of her injuries, Pompliano said.
The driver of the truck, identified as Porfirio Sanchez of Vallejo, was not injured in the collision. Pompliano said it was not yet known whether speed, alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.