2 Vehicles Hit Fallen Tree On Highway 13 In Oakland; 1 Killed
OAKLAND (KCBS) - An 18-year-old man was was killed and southbound lanes of Highway 13 in the Oakland hills were blocked Thursday morning after a tree fell across the highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The driver of a small compact car stopped after hitting the tree which had fallen across the two right-hand lanes of the road just south of the Park Boulevard overpass at about 4:20 a.m., a CHP officer said.
The driver, a resident of Silverdale, Wash., and four passengers who were also in the car got out and were walking around the accident site, said CHP officer Sam Morgan.
A pickup truck then also ran into the tree, and the driver lost control of the truck and struck the Toyota and its driver, who was standing outside the car.
The Toyota's driver was pronounced dead at the scene, Morgan said. His name is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin.
KCBS' Holly Quan And Matt Bigler Report:
The two passengers suffered minor injuries in the crash reported at 4:21 a.m.
Traffic was diverted off Highway 13 at Park Boulevard while crews worked to remove the tree blocking the highway. Caltrans estimated it would reopen the roadway shortly after 7 a.m.
The wet weather also toppled a large tree on Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains just before the summit. The tree struck a small sedan, totaling it, just before 4:45 a.m.
The driver, Paul Allen, said his air bags deployed and he got out without any serious injuries.
"Driving 40 miles an hour in the slow lane, I came around the corner. I saw a tree fall on me. It just happened that quick," he said.
All lanes of Highway 17 have since reopened.
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