Two PG&E Workers Die After Truck Crashes Into River
PLUMAS COUNTY (CBS13) -- Two Pacific Gas & Electric workers drowned when the work truck they were in went off the highway and into the Feather River on Thursday afternoon.
The accident occurred on Highway 70 in the Quincy area of Plumas County. The victims were identified by the California Highway Patrol as Aaron Weiss, 31, of Paradise and Ryan Miles, 29, of Chico.
Weiss is a Grass Valley native who graduated from Nevada Union High School, according to The Union newspaper of Grass Valley. The family owns Weiss Bros. Nursery in Grass Valley.
Two other PG&E workers survived the crash. Mike Diefenderfer, 48, of Paradise and Loren Bird, 25, both of Chico were in the back seat of the Ford F-550 truck.
According to the CHP, Miles was driving west on Highway 70 approaching the Rock Creek Power Dam at about 4:30 p.m. when when the truck drifted off the roadway and he over-corrected. The truck spun out of control and plummeted into the Rock Creek Reservoir, where it quickly sank 25 feet to the bottom.
The truck and the bodies of Weiss and Miles were pulled out of the river about two hours later, the CHP said.
Weiss' wife, Lisa, is pregnant with the couple's first child, The Union reported.
The four PG&E workers were returning to Chico after working in Caribou all day.
