3 senior volunteers for sheriff's office hospitalized after tree falls on vehicle in El Dorado County
PIONEER — Three senior volunteers for the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office were transported to an area hospital Wednesday afternoon after a tree fell on their vehicle during patrols.
It happened shortly after 2 p.m. along Grizzly Flat Road. The California Highway Patrol's Placerville division confirmed all three individuals suffered major injuries and have since been taken to Marshall Hospital in Placerville.
On Thursday morning, the sheriff's office said two volunteers were released from the hospital Wednesday night. One person remains in the hospital and is in stable condition.
The three were in a STAR – Sheriff's Team of Active Retirees – vehicle belonging to the sheriff's office. All three were volunteers conducting security patrols, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office confirmed.
The incident affected area traffic on Grizzly Flat Road in both directions near Sweeney Road. The Pioneer Union School District said its green bus route could be delayed after a tree fell "with vehicle involvement near the Grizzly Den."
The road impacts lasted nearly three hours before the tree was cut into pieces and the car was towed away from the scene.
"It was just kind of a freak accident that occurred, so not super common, but when we have weather, especially weather change, it happens, you know? Just not necessarily the trees falling on cars," said Sergeant Kyle Parker with the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office.
Parker said a deputy was nearby on patrol and just happened upon the scene. The deputy got to work to get the three volunteers extricated. With that help, Parker said, the volunteers were able to be transported more quickly.
The S.T.A.R Program was created in 1994 and consists of senior volunteers who assist the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office with "crime prevention and other programs," according to the program's description.
Volunteers do not make arrests or carry weapons but assist deputies and allow them to focus on patrol services and other priority calls.
"They are a tremendous resource for us here at the sheriff's office," said Parker.
