One Patient Headed to the Hospital After Three Vehicle Crash on Slough Bridge

One vehicle with major damage after the crash.

One vehicle with major damage after the crash rests next to 101. [All photos by Mark McKenna]

About 4:30 p.m., three vehicles collided on southbound 101 on the Slough Bridge heading into Eureka. One patient was sent to the hospital in an ambulance.

Traffic is moving slowly through the area, according to the Caltrans QuickMap.

Traffic is moving through the area slowly.

Traffic is moving through the area slowly.

Two vehicles have major damage. A third has minor damage.

Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more facts become available.

Emergency personnel clear debris off Hwy 101 as it enters Eureka from the North near the Slough Bridge.

Emergency personnel clear debris off Hwy 101 as it enters Eureka from the north near the Slough Bridge. [Photo by Mark McKenna]

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14 Comments
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Maybe,maybe not
Guest
Maybe,maybe not
3 years ago

Does anyone know if they were backed up from a red light ahead before the accident?

HOJ in Training
Guest
HOJ in Training
3 years ago

Based on the shadows, it’s probable that the Sun was a contributing factor.

Bug on a Windshield
Guest
Bug on a Windshield
3 years ago

If the sun was a factor, then they were driving too fast for the conditions of the road.

Buster
Guest
Buster
3 years ago

Some people go way too fast right there.
Theoretically, somewhere around the bridge you should be slowing from 50 mph to 35 mph.

lauracooskey
Guest
lauracooskey
3 years ago

Wait, i’m confused. I thought all traffic on each bridge was going in the same direction on that stretch.

Also, there are no off- or on-ramps or intersections there. So the mass of traffic, in two clearly marked lanes, moves forward only, together.

How could there be a collison? Unlikely a deer or other animal was on the bridge, but maybe.

Sometimes i really wish a reporter would interview drivers or other automobile occupants after such crashes. Find out what they were thinking or looking at… maybe find out if this taught them anything, etc. It sounds so condescending and parental, but really! Not each driver, but at least one, did something they shouldn’t have. I like knowing what it is so that i can be sure never to do it, and to be aware of the possibilities of others doing it.

JRWhitmore
Guest
JRWhitmore
3 years ago
Reply to  lauracooskey

That is just who I would talk to after a crash, a reporter…….

lauracooskey
Guest
lauracooskey
3 years ago
Reply to  JRWhitmore

Right. To say, “I was just texting my girlfriend and all of a sudden…”
It could be a while after. Follow-up the next week.

Mary Ann M.
Guest
Mary Ann M.
3 years ago
Reply to  lauracooskey

Hi Laura, No expert here but what seems to be happening is as the traffic is coming into Eureka, not everyone is slowing down. One vehicle rear ends another. Sometimes a chain reaction. And visibility is diminished as the bridge over the slough is approached and it has a hump. This seems to happen every couple of months at that location. Also can’t say what could prevent this except to slow down where the speed limit change is posted and don’t tailgate.

lauracooskey
Guest
lauracooskey
3 years ago
Reply to  Mary Ann M.

Yes, Mary Ann, that all sounds right. The “rear ending” was pretty vicious in this one, considering the condition of the Corolla… it got knocked sideways.
One thing i do to alert those behind me of stopped traffic is to tap my brakes repeatedly as i approach the nest of vehicles, hoping my flashing brake lights will get approaching drivers’ attention.

Bozo
Guest
Bozo
3 years ago

Put some traffic sensors just over and on the bridge. They pick up when traffic is stopped.
Activate some warning signs just north on the ‘safety zone’ that say stopped traffic ahead.
That’s what ‘other folks’ do anyway.

Meanwhile… a few miles south… CalTrans is spending a few million dollars to take out a lane divider.
That er…’might not’ contain a car. Hopefully they will be putting up a 12′ NASCAR style safety net in the future.

I really can’t believe what CalTrans is spending our tax dollars on.

Martin
Guest
Martin
3 years ago

February crash month continues. I hope the person sent to the hospital will be fine. Glad no one was killed.

Brodie
Guest
Brodie
3 years ago

People are sleeping because they just came thru the 50 mph zone(safety right) and are not paying attention and the traffic is backed up just around the turn on to the bridge. There needs to be more flashing lights as you approach that area to get people woke up again.

Bug on a Windshield
Guest
Bug on a Windshield
3 years ago

Same time of day and same location my wife was rear ended a few years back. It was a college kid in a big Tacoma. Our daughter got the guy to admit on video that it was his fault. Obviously, since my wife’s car was completely stopped well before the crash. The kid wanted to “make it right” out of pocket. Found out later he was on his parents’ insurance. Barely scratched the truck, but, my wife’s car became a salvage title.

Dispatch told my wife that “unless someone is hurt, [cops] won’t show up.” A major system flaw, since insurance requires a police report. Fortunately, they got the kid’s admission.

I don’t get it. That stretch is slow stop-n-go everyday at that time. How do you get surprised? There are flashing lights. There is a “35 MPH Ahead” sign. Currently, there is also an orange construction “25 MPH” sign.

Something I always do and recommend: if you are the car about to be rear ended, and have no way out, sit back with your head against the head rest. Try to relax somewhat. Although, I’m on the fence about how to brake. Parking brake? Foot brake only with a tense leg could lead to a leg injury. Relaxed foot on brake giving way on impact to allow your vehicle to get pushed forward? Hopefully you are stopped at the proper distance behind the vehicle ahead of you so you don’t rear end them (according to the drivers training handbook, you should be able to see the bottom of the rear tires of the vehicle ahead of you).

CnD
Guest
CnD
3 years ago

“Bug on a Windshield” nailed it all! Thank you! I could not have said it all better!