[UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: Major Injury] Vehicle Suspended in a Tree After Crash

Traffic Collision Car AccidentA white Toyota Tacoma crashed on Wood Ranch Road off of Redwood Drive north of Redway about 12:49 p.m. According to reports from the scene, the pickup is “on its side into a tree” and it appears “suspended” off the ground.

The driver is trapped and “in a precarious position,” according to the Incident Commander.

Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue, Redway Fire, and other agencies are responding to the scene.

UPDATE 1:08 p.m.: Medevac requested. The Eel River Camp is being used as the landing zone for the helicopter.

UPDATE 2:00 p.m.: Emergency crews are saying over the scanner that they having trouble extricating the patient from the vehicle while it is in its current position.

UPDATE 2:15 p.m.: The patient has been extricated from the vehicle and is being treated by medical personnel.

UPDATE 2:19 p.m.: A reader sent us these photos.

traffic accident Truck in tree

UPDATE 2:40 p.m.: The California Highway Patrol is now listing this as a major injury crash. The patient is being sent to Mercy Medical Center in Redding.

UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: The following photos were provided by CAL FIRE:

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35 Comments
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G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago

I hope this ends well,sounds bad.im praying for them🙏

Buzzards nest
Guest
Buzzards nest
6 years ago
Reply to  G-MAS

G mas=Virtue signaling. Ha ha devro

Shake Well
Guest
Shake Well
6 years ago

The driver must have been flying.

Ernestine
Guest
Ernestine
6 years ago
Reply to  Shake Well

Oh really? Have you seen that road? It’s vertical. A momentary lapse of anything (ones brakes, ones attention, etc) and one could be over the side in a second. And even when it’s 100% the driver’s stupidity that causes an accident, you can still control yourself and hush if you choose to. You have the right to remain silent and it’s generally better because going off half cocked is not helpful to anybody on here.

Diesel dually
Guest
Diesel dually
6 years ago
Reply to  Ernestine

Goodness, take a deep breath! It’s going to get better….

Diesel dually.
Guest
Diesel dually.
6 years ago
Reply to  Shake Well

In general, pickups don’t fly well …

Antichrist
Guest
Antichrist
6 years ago
Reply to  Shake Well

Dont worry your joke wasnt missed by all

SourTangant
Guest
SourTangant
6 years ago

I hope they are ok. Does anyone have pictures of the vehicle?

volunteer firefighter
Guest
volunteer firefighter
6 years ago

As of 2:13 PM, according to the fire radio, the patient has been extricated, is loaded in
the ambulance, and is headed to the con camp to the medivac chopper.

Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago

Solar Apoceclipse Now

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago

Idk,but maybe slow down a tad. Been on that road,as many others have,it’s not great. We’ve been run off the road and we were slow moving to.

Sam
Guest
Sam
6 years ago
Reply to  G-MAS

In DMV talk, safe speed for road conditions.

guest5
Guest
guest5
6 years ago
Reply to  G-MAS

It’s washboard with loose rocks and sand on top of the washboard right there if that’s where I think it is. Easy to bounce around and loose the road if someone is passing you. Easy to loose momentum on that slope by slowing down too much. I thought I might go off that road yesterday going uphill when a person was passing by me going downhill. At that very same spot I think, or very close to it. Not much room there when you’re bouncing or skitting over loose washboard. I was going about 15 mph in order to make the hill.

It’s a lot easier for the person going downhill to give right of way if needed…

Hope he or she is going to be OK.

BonnieBlueSky
Guest
BonnieBlueSky
6 years ago

We only think we’re in control, until something life-changing happens.

curlybill
Guest
curlybill
6 years ago
Reply to  BonnieBlueSky

The lyrics of “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” contain the famous Lennon quote “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” However, the expression of this sentiment can be traced back to a 1957 Reader’s Digest article, which attributes it to Allen Saunders.

Nasty
Guest
Nasty
6 years ago

FYI. Before passing judgement, learn the facts. They aren’t all in yet, but this man has a family, a good family, and was not deserving of this. That part IS a fact. I chuckled a little when I read the “I’m sure he was flying” comment when I was unaware of who it was. But now that I know, reality hits and I feel like a fucking jerk for laughing at that comment. I’ll take that feeling as a lesson I hope you all do too before commenting.. this could be a friend, family member, loved one. And it isn’t funny.

Slow down
Guest
Slow down
6 years ago
Reply to  Nasty

It’s not funny but the fact is 75% of the drivers on that road drive way too fast

HC Native
Guest
HC Native
6 years ago
Reply to  Nasty

That’s kinda sad, it was funny when you didn’t know them but because he’s a good guy now you feel bad? This kind of a thing is a tragedy to a family no matter who’s at fault or who they are… Somebody loved them and nobody deserves it, js

Boudreaux
Guest
Boudreaux
6 years ago

The green rush/legalization is wonderful, excessive traffic on our rural private roads and the weed workers who don’t give a shit about the residents speeding and driving like assholes.

M T
Guest
M T
6 years ago
Reply to  Boudreaux

Yep, “Weed” kills…or is it “Speed” Kills? Hope the driver is OK!!

picchu
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Boudreaux

You noticed that too. I have lived on 36 near Martin and Shirley’s old store since 1989. There was a gradual increase in traffic over most of those years but in the last three years it has expolded. And so have fatal accidents. Slow down! Being in a hurry on our rural roads is dangerous. DUH! If it was just the reckless involved it still wouldn’t be smart but innocent drivers are endangered, injured and killed because of them.

For the first time since moving here from Eureka, I feel times are changing for the worse with legalization. Might be time to move back to town.

Tada
Guest
Tada
6 years ago
Reply to  picchu

Part of the problem in hwy 36 is that GPS says to take that from the 5 to get to humboldt.
Things are crazy everywhere, our bubble just burst and its very extreme outside of it!! Really everyone, lets have a contest to see who can find a city in the us right now with low crime and drug use and no homeless and tons of funding. Ok, i guess we have to rule out places like malibu where the wealthy make sure the crimes stay secret. For property value reasons.

Just keeping it real
Guest
Just keeping it real
6 years ago

Hope everyone’s ok. And that road is super scary (just keeping it real). I know everyone has an opinion- mine would be — come in California Government peeps fix those roads. Damn. Don’t even get me started on Alderpoints roads where my family is n travels. All those taxs they get.#fixtheroads!

Reality
Guest
Reality
6 years ago

Wood Ranch Road is a private road, it is funded by the residents.

Anon Forrest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Reality

And just guessing here, but I bet the driver isn’t one of those folks who pays for the up-keep on that road.

Reality
Guest
Reality
6 years ago
Reply to  Anon Forrest

That is correct Anon.

Charlie
Guest
Charlie
6 years ago

Likewise the Mattole road, Ettersburg road, Wilder ridge road and Thorn-Briceland road.

Redway Drive got a fresh paving job and it was in pretty good condition to start with. I don’t get it.

Somebody has an odd sense of priority. I can appreciate the concept of put the money where it benefits the most people but I suspect far more people use these rural roads to get to town (and spend money there) than actually live in the towns themselves. And like I said, the streets looked like they were in pretty decent shape to start with compared to the asphalt acne afflicting the county roads.

Shak
Guest
Shak
6 years ago

Freaky accident! I hope and pray he will come out of the hospital as good as new or as close to it as possible. Poor guy!

Ridgeback
Guest
Ridgeback
6 years ago

Prayers for him and all his loved ones!!

Yotaking
Guest
Yotaking
6 years ago

What people don’t understand is how light the rear end of a Toyota pick up is. When combined with washboards while turning on a gravel road even the slightest oversteer or understeer will send you out of control. Hope everyone is okay in this one.

Anon Forrest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Yotaking

Try sand bags in the bed behind the wheels. And good tires. And SLOW DOWN before you feel the side-ways pull. Be safe.

Phyllis
Guest
Phyllis
6 years ago

Hope the driver is ok. Reminds me of the scene in Jurassic Park when the vehicle is stuck in the tree..

Optimist
Guest
Optimist
6 years ago

The Wood Ranch Road is well maintained on that section as well as most of the main stem thanks to our good road association. That part of the road is a bit steep but not treacherous by Humboldt County standards. The driver was fortunate that the car and the forest, as well, didn’t catch fire and so are the residents. The firefighters and emergency personnel did a sterling and fast job in a terribly difficult situation. However, it is clear that the driver was going too fast and like many other drivers, was jeopardizing others on the road as well as the forest and the residents themselves. I’m sure that is not on the mind of those who drive all our roads too fast, but you can take out anyone, including children, mothers and fasters with this imagined sense of needing to be somewhere quickly. I’m glad the driver came out literally in one piece and wish him all the best.

Reality
Guest
Reality
6 years ago
Reply to  Optimist

This crash was definitely caused by excessive speed. Their are motorcycles traveling on Wood Ranch Road this grow season at high rates of speed. There’s the habit of drivers paying more attention to their cell phones. So put down the phone and slow down.

Trillium Hummingbird
Guest
Trillium Hummingbird
6 years ago

I sincerely hope that we get through today without:

Abandoned crashed cars in Goobsterdam, with weed growing in them or not,

Pickups crashing into houses, cars, trees, rivers, over cliffs or into the ocean,

People killing or otherwise hurting each other, over sex, dope, money or whatever,

People abusing children, women, animals, or inanimate objects,

Folks hating their neighbors, or just saying mean things for no reason,

Or the rest of the Humboldt-Trinity-Mendocino-Lake County area going up in flames…

Life can be crazy, but look where WE live!

Have a good, safe, and constructive day!