[UPDATE] Person Hit on 101 Just South of Eureka; 101 Northbound Stopped
The CHP CAD page indicates that at least 6 additional vehicles have hit the pedestrian including a big rig.
Traffic is being diverted.
Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more facts become available.
UPDATE 7:26 a.m.: According to a CHP dispatcher, northbound 101 is stopped completely. There is no diversion and there is no estimated time of reopening.
UPDATE 7:29 a.m.: We’re getting conflicting information. Caltrans is stating, “NB 101 at Spruce Point just south of Eureka is closed due to a fatal collision. Traffic is being diverted around the closure using local roads. Expect long delays for this morning’s commute.”
UPDATE 7:43 a.m.: Lt. Bryan Quenell of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office told our photographer Mark McKenna that the Coroner’s Office was on scene. They hope to remove the body soon and get the road open.
UPDATE 7:55 a.m.: Commuters attempting to enter 101 are stopped on the feeder roads. The photo below shows the backup behind the onramp to Hwy 101. A school bus is also caught in the snarl.
UPDATE 8:43 a.m.: The Freeway has reopened.UPDATE 8:59 a.m.: Law enforcement is controlling traffic to allow feeder roads access to 101. They are alternating traffic. They allow a number of vehicles to travel north on 101 and then they stop traffic there and let vehicles from Humboldt Hill go. Then they stop Humboldt Hill and let some cars from the highway through. Then they repeat the process.
UPDATE 9:18 a.m.: The traffic is still terrible. People are inching northward. Please avoid Hwy 101 from College of the Redwoods northward if at all possible.
UPDATE 9:36 a.m.: Traffic is still in a mess even though the road has been reopened.
UPDATE 10:05 a.m.: Caltrans reports that both lanes are now open. Readers report that traffic is moving normally through the area now.UPDATE: Press release from the California Highway Patrol:
On the morning of January 22, 2019, just before 630 AM, the California Highway Patrol received a call of a fatal collision involving a pedestrian on Northbound US-101 north of Humboldt Hill. Upon CHP arrival, it was determined that a a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado, being driven by 31 year old Vincent Giovannini of Eureka, was merging into northbound traffic from the Humboldt Hill on-ramp. Mr. Giovannini looked over his left shoulder to check for traffic. When he looked back ahead, a pedestrian had suddenly appeared in the lane ahead of him. Mr. Giovannini was unable to avoid a collision and the front of his truck struck the pedestrian. Mr. Giovannini was able to stop on the right shoulder and call 911. Several additional vehicles, unaware of the collision that had just occurred, also struck the pedestrian who was now lying in the northbound lanes.
The identity of the pedestrian is being confirmed by the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office and will be withheld pending notification of next of kin.
It is unknown if alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in this collision.
The California Highway Patrol Humboldt Area is continuing its investigation into this collision and is asking anyone with additional information to contact the Humboldt Area CHP Office at 707-822-5981 or send an email to [email protected].
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🕯Poor soul ,sounds like either to many drugs or death buy 101.
[edit] you don’t know Aaron and have no right to speak of him that way or anyone in that manner until you find out the facts.
Again???
It never said anything about the person dieing
six vehicles and a big rig? yea, it’s a fatality. Listen to the scanner.
They may have used the words 11-44, which is scanner lingo for a Fatality!!!
Hit by 6 vehicles, 1 9f which a big rig. Coroner en route. Safe to say deceased.
Hit by a car on freeway then hit by 6 additional vehicles. Unfortunately, dont think anyone could survive that. So sad! Hope they didnt suffer 😢
Am I the only one feeling uneasy with the first pic?
Dam, yea I think there may be more in that photo than the editor realized
Like what? Please tell.
If you’re talking about the stuff on the road, it’s flare remnants. I’ve been watching the live broadcast from Scott Rates and he was standing there. The scene is about 50 yards ahead of that pic
My girlfriend said the same exact words. It feels a bit gory? …..
Thank you and he died instatly
There is a body covered with a white sheet on the road. I’m sure that person didn’t survive.
I went by the scene heading south @ 7:25AM and saw the body covered with a yellow sheet/tarp Hum hill just off the off ramp. Traffic was backed up to Fields Landing Tried to return to Eureka at 9:25 traffic was backed clean up to Hookton hill overpass. I truly hope this person didnt suffer RIP
One update says fatal and another says coroner is on scene 😢
The fatality report is in the updates, but this poor soul was hit by 7 vehicles, including a big rig.
Waiting for the Coroner should have explained this to you.
But they did say they were removing the body
It does… it say while they remove the body… that means dead
7:29 update says “fatal collision”.
Good one, R-cat, not. Do you need things spelled out for you? Besides, it’s DYING diieing.
Kym
“Kym”. ?????? 🤨
That’s your comment? WTF?
Are you attempting to object to this blog running this story? Why?
Next time, try to come up with a better (or at least longer) comment than “Kym”. Please. 🖐🏼
It never had the scaner reports earlier so i did not lnow
Frogger !
🕯👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
Seek help. Seriously.
Sadly that was my first thought also it’s starting to seem like a giant game of Frogger!!! Especially, around Eureka & surrounding areas!!!
I’m stuck in this mess you mean they can’t rerout us like umm hmm ? Ok I don’t know!!! But suicide sucks no matter how ya do it.
“What KIEM said was that the man was hit when a vehicle was trying to merge and the driver was looking over his shoulder so didn’t see him and knocked him into the highway where the other vehicles hit him.”
Sounds like he was accidentally knocked onto the highway.
Not suicide.
They started diverting people onto Humboldt Hill Road at one point and there are probably a hundred vehicles stuck here. It looks like the 101 is moving but everybody on the exits are still stuck so dont get off at any of the exits thinking you will get around it because it’s only gonna be worse
Kind of makes you wonder what would happen if we had a major fire in this area, like the Paradise fire! We have a very limited amount of escape routes. I feel for the family of this terrible tragedy.
So true, lots of people on the hill.. one road down only 2 escape routes out. Living on the hill myself, its been over developed, over populated. Could be a tragedy waiting to happen
I worked wit a man who had schizophrenia. He told me he wanted to walk in front of a big rig and that would kill off the mental illness and the rest of him would be fine. I worked with another man who was depressed and ran in front of a train and wound up losing a leg. He too was trying to take his own life. I have also worked with folks who had such an addiction that they just wanted to die, gave up. No telling what happened to this person. But a fact is that everyone involved was traumatized by the event. My heart goes out to all involved. Hugs-
Yes. I’ve seen people whose mental illness allowed them to think they could drink a poison that would kill an infection like a cold but not harm anything else. Or that won a victory over conservatorship of their person so they could go out and die of exposure. Being mentally ill is usually an awful thing for the ill person.
How hard it is for those who hit the person too. Obviously they couldn’t do anything to avoid it but still a horrible memory.
Are you saying that working with you makes people want to end their own lives?
According to kiem, the pedestrian was knocked onto the highway accidentally by the first car, he didn’t place himself on the highway, not a suicide.
The CHP press release states, “Mr. Giovannini looked over his left shoulder to check for traffic. When he looked back ahead, a pedestrian had suddenly appeared in the lane ahead of him. Mr. Giovannini was unable to avoid a collision and the front of his truck struck the pedestrian.”
Hi Kym,
According to Keim: “According to CHP, a Chevy truck was merging onto the highway when he struck the pedestrian. The driver, 31-year-old Vincent Giovannini was looking over his left shoulder checking for traffic. That’s when he struck the man with his truck.
The victim was then thrown into northbound lanes and hit by several other oncoming vehicles.”
https://kiem-tv.com/2019/01/22/early-morning-fatal-pedestrian-accident-snarls-traffic-and-causes-standstill/
Thanks.
I think that the direct statement from the CHP, as opposed to an indirect quote from KIEM, is the clearest. And the CHP’s statement says the pedestrian was in the lane [of the onramp] when he was struck. According to their statement, then they go on to say that after being struck the pedestrian was in the northbound lanes of the freeway where he was hit by more vehicles.
They “diverted” people onto Humboldt Hill. But the only way off Humboldt Hill is onto 101, so traffic just started piling up on the side roads.
Prayers to all involved. And to the family of the deceased.. this is tragic in more ways than one. I hope no children had to witness this…
;
Sitting on 101 northbound near CR for the past 30 minutes.
Been here an hour now
Sooo sad. I agree 💯% – suicide, in any form, is a tragedy. It affects many, not just the person killing themselves. He wanted to be noticed, perhaps? BAD way to go about it. You don’t have to be a drug addict to be suicidal, so I disagree with the person who said they “‘must have’ been on too many drugs, or…” Maybe so, but no reason to put that label on them, when its not been confirmed. I know drug addicts, and not one of them are suicidal. Anyway, my prayers go out to this persons family and friends who were left behind to deal with this tragedy. Be grateful that you were just late for work, and not this lost, and lonely soul, who lost his life. God Bless.
Prayers for all involved
I just arrived at CR, coming from Eureka, and from CRs parking lot I can see that northbound 101 is backed up as far down toward the Loleta hill as I can see.
Horrible, though this comment has no bearing regarding who was at fault, it was an accident. Terrible, hit by at least 6 vehicles, including a big rig, slow down, if you see something in the road honk your horn loudly and pull over to the side when safe and call the first responders; the guy might have survived after the first one if he’d gotten help right away. Even if you don’t like the person or even if they are in the wrong place, or even if you are in a hurry, don’t hit them.
Maybe they could consider decreasing the speed limit a little and adding ceramic road road markers or something. Stay safe out there.
I don’t think lowering the speed limit would help this from happening again, since this person was obviously walking into traffic with what was witnessed by numerous drivers as intent to step into traffic. Not only that, why should we lower the speed limit when it’s clearly a freeway with vehicles traveling freeway speeds for a reason? Yes, I do agree that people should slow down, but I don’t think we should slam on our brakes for an obviously suicidal person. Ok, I get that you are sad for this person and since he was run over six times, but it’s nearly impossible to stop when you are traveling at freeway speeds (65 plus) when you see someone walk out in front of you. Have you ever hit a deer? Well sorry, I don’t mean to compare this suicide to a deer, but that’s basically all I can think of when I think of pedestrians walking out onto the freeway. Not a safe place to be walking. And if you are walking or wondering out into traffic, it’s most likely intended to end in death -with no regard for the drivers on the road. Why didn’t this suicide think of the people in cars? It could have been much worse right? People could have died in traffic from avoiding this sad person by swerving and hitting other cars. It’s more than just a suicide, if any claims can be made, this was an attack on the public. No amount of safe driving will avoid suicide attacks. The guy knew what he was doing.
What,
no criticism to you or anyone involved, but he was on the exit ramp when hit, thrown onto the highway by the first vehicle.
Pedestrians in the road are a big problem around here; though I’m not that familiar with that particular exit ramp.
In Arcata the people with the signs almost put heir foot out into traffic. In eureka peopke stumble across the road or ride their bicycles against traffic; have had to stop many a time to avoid them, worried about getting rear ended.
Maybe they could add more lighting to that exit ramp area, but how to keep pedestrians out of the road?
Maybe they could consider some pedestrian bridges or put more signs up.
No criticism to anyone involved.
People are driving on shoulder and cutting in front of others. Not cool. It’s taken me an hour to get from Hookton exit to second CR exit. Stay home until this clears!
ANYone who does that should lose their licenses. A-holes. Complete A-holes.
Idiots are peeling off at Hookton Rd exit, driving past CR and trying to merge back at the “feeder” onramp causing further backup for everyone else. Didn’t listen to teacher about “taking cuts”
Hey, some of those folks had legitimate reasons to peel off. My husband was dropping my kid at CR.
Really, Kym….“Peel off”? Nice choice of words.
Hey, I was just copying her/him (says my inner 5 year old.)
Another hour had passed and we made it from CR area to Fields Landing
Traffic should be moving normally now. I hope you made it safely.
Just wanted to add that this was a terrible tragedy, and my comments don’t pertain to this particular accident.
Kudos to who called it in. Condolences to all.
But in general I’ve noticed that people drive really fast around here on a clear sunny day such as today, driving as if they would drive were they in L.A.; that is part of the problem because there are curves and grades, some uneven pavement, etc. that make it unsafe to drive fast. This is a rural area; the roads around here weren’t designed to be driven fast, maybe they should be, but they aren’t. Slow down, this isn’t L.A.
If people were driving like this was LA, you would be driving in traffic as is shown in the pictures of the article ‼️ Bumper to bumper…
Have you ever even driven from here to Disneyland⁉️ Quite the culture shock.
Yes I have driven the area you refer to, many times, that area has excellent road conditions; unlike this area. I meant that this area is not suitable for speeding whereas many areas of southern cal. are.
We need to respond to this issue better as a community. When the drug addicts jaywalk right across 101, we need to all stop, turn on our hazzards, place the offender under citizens arrest and wait for law enforcement to arrive.
Or if you are the type to take thigs into your own hands, I don’t necessarily condone that bit I certainly understand it on this case.
And the stupidest comment above (R-Dog) gets the most replies. At least the drivers all pulled off to the side unlike in Covelo
Are you sure it’s not GoldGuys frogger comment?
Nope. It’s JDubbs.
More laws and slowing commerce in and out of the county’s main hub wouldn’t prevent suicide by car or someone breaking the law crossing where they aren’t supposed to.
We need a pedestrian route between Humboldt Hill and Eureka! Way too many people being hit and killed!
Diamond,
thanks.
Hey, another “trail”….oh goodie
Yes, this! The safety corridor is not safe, and the road going south is worse.
Tori, thank you for your compassion. Hitting this person with one’s vehicle would be traumatizing.
A child witnessing it would probably also be traumatized.
The driver did the right thing by calling it in and pulling to the side of the road, the driver is not at fault in any way shape or form, but how were 6 motorists unable to avoid the person after that?
Maybe people should carry a flare or a cone in their car and throw it on the road if there’s a pedestrian in it.
This pedestrian in the road thing is a real problem around here.
Condolences to all.
Rip.
What KIEM said was that the man was hit when a vehicle was trying to merge and the driver was looking over his shoulder so didn’t see him and knocked him into the highway where the other vehicles hit him.
Was the person in the road or on the shoulder?
That makes sense. Cal Trans has a nickname for the on-ramp/off-ramp lanes…”The Gore Lane”.
People need to be able to walk safely from Humboldt Hill all the way into town.
At one point CalTrans had purchased a number of houses downtown they intended to clear to make a better route through Eureka than using Broadway. It never was done, the houses were rented out for years and eventually sold.
Why it never happened, I’m not sure. But now apparently nothing will ever be done and it’s 10 times worse.
What’s wrong with the coastal trail from King Salmon to the Hikshari?
Geist,
thanks, that’s terrible. I don’t have any knowledge of the accident other than the news coverage.
I do know that people in general drive horribly around here for absolutely no reason, and speeding for a absolutely no good reason is a problem; though the leo’s have done a wonderful job with the safety corridor lately, their attention to the safety corridor is very appreciated, the safety corridor is no longer scary.
All Drivers:pay attention,if you’re turning right on RED,you’re looking left for on-coming traffic? Did you bother to look at the pedestrian entering crosswalk with the RIGHT OF WAY??? Not exactly what happened here,but intersections have cameras.Think about this😞
Old,
well said.
There should be no right turn on the red for intersection where the cross traffic rarely allows it anyway.
That’s it, blame it on the cars! You stupid morons!
My wife and myself have only been in there area for a little over a year. I walk along almost every day the 101 with my dog. The people here drive like absolute idiots, I swear im going to be a youtube star one of these days after i start recording mt wife road rage yelling at all the stupid shit people do when they drive around here. Cutting people off not letting people merge not watching for pedestrians pulling out into oncoming traffic thinking you can make it then go real slow. Speeding for no reasons on and on and on. I get home every day and thank the universe that I didnt get hit by one of you that day. Everyone here is so self absorbed, they are not paying attention to whats around them and what other drivers and bicyclists and pedestrians are doing. Too much traffic on the roads now its not the 70s and 80s. Got to have your head on a fucking swivel now!
Are you one of those who just unexpectedly walk out into traffic along Broadway? Who enjoy the power plays of staring down drivers, daring them to hit you as you amble along in front of them?
Sorry for the cranky sniping. There is a definite problem driving around Broadway. And it is spreading. It is a bad mixture of non residents traveling through, too many side streets with people trying to enter or exit of cross, too few setbacks allowing clear view and too many pedestrians behaving erratically. It’s a PITA to drive and scary to walk. I suggest staying off it as much as possible.
Flee,
thank you for your comment, appreciate your post. Exactly wat I’ve been posting.
Ironically when I post something like “people need to consider slowing down, driving within the speed limit and paying attention to their driving for safety reasons,” I’ll get negative comments as if the thought of even considering paying attention to ones driving blew their mind or something.
I’ll post anyway because somebody that isn’t cautious that is on the road with all of us might read my comment, and they might think twice about what they are doing, and start paying attention to their driving, and the life our comments save may be our own.
Stay safe.
A minute of your life is not worth your life for a minute.
Nothing wrong with some good advice.
Thank you for this info today Kym. I am so sorry for the family’s loss.
A trail through tidal sloughs. Great idea. Not. Enough tax payer dollars have been wasted on all these trails, which are just expensive sidewalks. I would rather see that money used for mental health and homeless aid/reeducation/job assistance.
Does anyone notice the ‘Pedestrians Prohibited ‘ signs on the freeways. There just might be a reason those are posted.
Smith,
you Still have to report it
don’t judge,
grow up.
Natural selection in all its brutal glory –
Just wanted to add, how could 6 different vehicles not notice a body in the road?
Even driving 65, I can see a cone or a raccoon in the road.
It was dark and he was laying in the road. [edit]
Why judge when you weren’t there? Don’t you think for one second that these people would avoid a human. I mean seriously we aren’t talking about a plastic cone or a varmit. Grow up.
Smith,
he was knocked onto the freeway by the first car, and none of the subsequent cars stopped, that’s pretty horrible, don’t you think?
I am grown up and serious enough to notice a body in the road and if you wouldn’t please stay off the road and if you can’t control yourself enough to stay off the road at least
Slow down.
That’s not what the CHP press release said.
https://kymkemp.com/2019/01/22/body-hit-on-101-just-south-of-eureka-101-northbound-stopped/#comment-742161
You weren’t there. You are all judgemental [edit]. I didn’t hit him on purpose and I stopped. So Stop, you have no idea what happened
Kristi,
sorry, I was wrong for saying anything, it was an accident, condolences to you
and the victim.
This comment does not pertain to this particular accident, but in general maybe the county could educate people about driving, encourage driver’s ed courses in high school, at the junior college, and maybe offer some free driver’s ed courses.
Also in the U.S.A. people look out for pedestrians; whereas in other countries that is not the way they drive. So helping people that aren’t from the U.S.A. become familiar with our driving ways may help.
Maybe adding more lighting may also help.
Condolences to all.
Or perhaps could it be, that this area is like The Walking Dead? I’m from the Bay Area. I’ve seen a lot of filth. But it’s an absolute shame that this community points fingers when in fact things like this occur because of the community it’s self! This must be one of the most beautiful places in the state of California, but it’s clearly also a Mecca for drug addicts and homeless. Bikes and pedestrians don’t run 101 in the Bay Area for a reason people. Hello!?! San Francisco and Oakland have their set of problems too, but for a small community to have this kind of problem is beyond me. Leave the county sometime and you’ll see that this place has a big problem, and it’s a lot bigger than just the drivers!
1- Stop allowing drug addicts to settle here.
2-Stop allowing bikes and pedestrians to travel the highway.
We should mandate everyone have a car? You do know that there isn’t a lot of public transportation here?