[UPDATE 7:02 p.m.] Hwy 20 Closed After Head-on Fiery Crash; Air Ambulance Requested

medical helicopter, medivac feature

Background image by Dottie Simmons.

Hwy 20 is closed this evening at mile marker 11.6, just west of Clear Lake, after a pickup crashed head-on into a tanker truck a little after 5 p.m. and the tanker truck caught fire.

According to the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page, one person reported hearing an explosion. The fire began spreading to vegetation and there was a full wildland fire response sent. However, at this time the fire has been put out.

An air ambulance was requested to respond to the scene for an injured person.

Traffic from Hwy 20 is being rerouted around the south side of lake on Hwy 29.

This incident is complicating emergency response to a five vehicle crash just east of the incident scene at the Robinson Rancheria and Pomo Pumps gas station that occurred just before 6 p.m. Two air ambulances have been requested for that and at least one person needs to be extricated, according to scanner traffic. There are four vehicles with major damage.

UPDATE 7:02 p.m.: Both the first and second crashes are now being called major injury crashes by the CHP.

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14 Comments
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Just Saying
Guest
3 years ago

Wow. That’s a lot of car crashes in one area.

Johnny Eureka
Guest
Johnny Eureka
3 years ago

Speeding and running stop signs will do that to you.

HotCoffee
Guest
HotCoffee
3 years ago

When meth dealers are turned loose to run amuck, The amount of people (users) driving the roads must be insane.

Not saying it applies to this case, but just in general.

TJay
Guest
TJay
3 years ago

Biggest problem with 20 is people not using turnouts. Which just makes the people behind them even more impatient. As your often crawling along at around 20mph. With a posted speed limit 2.5x that. Which really makes people even more antsy.

Which is part of the reason I like to drive it in between 2-4am. Almost no traffic at that point. If you don’t feel comfortable you can go much slower and not annoy people.

sam
Guest
sam
3 years ago
Reply to  TJay

Much of Highway 20 is either 45 or 55mph. I have seen people doing 70 on the straighter stretch’s. With the slower-curvy parts, you really don’t make that much more time.

Inhale/Exhale
Guest
Inhale/Exhale
3 years ago
Reply to  sam

Everyone’s in such a rush ………………

Warning: I'll be on 20 Weds.! I do hit paved turn outs
Guest
Reply to  TJay

I drive a smaller commercial truck, and sometimes road conditions, and the load don’t allow me to go as fast as a passenger car. If I used every pull out, I’d never get where I’m going. Turn outs also need to be in good condition. Big potholes in the turn out break stuff, then you got to grind through the gears to get back up to speed, costing time and more fuel. When you feel I need to pull over it’s because you feel like what you are doing is more important than what I am. I like it when fast drivers just Euro Pass when they have a chance.

Schisam
Guest
Schisam
3 years ago

Euro passes cause head on accidents. Most of the pullouts on 20 through Lake County have been replaced or regravekked in the past five years and are fine. I hope you will choose to abide by the law so you don’t lose your license…..

guest
Guest
guest
3 years ago
Reply to  TJay

If you want to be ahead of me you should have got up five minutes earlier…..

Jeff
Guest
Jeff
3 years ago
Reply to  guest

Eell when you hotline 8 cars behind you its time yolet em pass

Screwed Sideways
Guest
Screwed Sideways
3 years ago

Everyone in Lake County speeds, 100% of the time. A huge number of people live in Lake County and commute elsewhere to work, from San Rafael to Willits, Sacramento to Redding… Because it used to be cheap up here…

Now Lake County is infested with folks who pass over the double yellow, follow too close, and push, push push…. Add to that a complete failure to obey any law at all, while driving under the influence of Alcohol, Marijuana, and Methamphetamine, plus a set of crappy roads that have not been improved to account for the sheer number of rigs cruising through, and you have recipe for disaster!

IMO, there is also a population of elders whose lives have become desperate, you will see them living down by the lake in Mobile Home Parks in Lakeport and Clear Lake and Kelseyville, and those rigs look pretty good as a ticket to the next world…

Rig vs car wrecks are increasing on hiway 20, so stay to the right, let the speeders race by, drive with your headlights on, and give those rigs a lot of room, since THEY are speeding too….

I used to commute to Willits from Kelseyville. Gave that up! If you think Lake County is dangerous, try Mendo or Humboldt!

Justin
Guest
Justin
3 years ago

This area is hazardous all the time, people frequently make bad decisions in pulling out into traffic or not signaling to turn in, poor road design work in general, something needs to be done!

Ginger Bush
Guest
Ginger Bush
3 years ago

Sure are a lot of opinions about what happened from people not involved.

Rodney
Guest
3 years ago

Was the driver of the big rig ok? And the driver in the pickup truck that supposedly hit the rig, ok?