Pedestrian Killed in Early Morning Crash on Hwy 101 Near Indianola Cutoff
Press release from the CHP:
On 05-14-2022, at approximately 3:32 AM, the CHP Humboldt Communication Center (HCC) received a call of a vehicle versus pedestrian traffic crash on US-101 Southbound, north of Indianola Cutoff. Based on CHP’s preliminary investigation, it appears this crash occurred when 59-year-old Troy Rassbach of Arcata CA, was walking within the lanes of US-101 Southbound and was struck by a 2010 Honda Pilot driven by 44-year-old Stephanie Mellen of Eureka. Emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and rendered aid to Mr. Rassbach. However, despite the efforts of medical personnel, Mr. Rassbach succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
Impairment is not a factor in the driving of the vehicle. Impairment of Mr. Rassbach is unknown at this time and will be determined by the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office.
The CHP is continuing to investigate this crash and asks anyone with information to contact the Humboldt Area CHP at (707) 822-5981 or (707) 268-2000 after business hours.
The California Highway Patrol extends its condolences to the family of the deceased and would like to thank the following agencies for their response and assistance with this investigation: Eureka Police Department
, Humboldt Bay Fire Department, Arcata Mad River Ambulance, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, California Department of Transportation and Humboldt Towing
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I hope the car is ok.
REALLY? Grumpy. No respect for human life. SAD AS FUCK, & PART OF SOCIETIES PROBLEM.
Thank you, Lisa P for putting the Grumpy Old Grunt in his place!
I’m going to take a Wild Guess & say likely it wasn’t, since Humboldt Towing was involved!!! Just speculation on my part!!!
I extend my sympathy to the undoubtedly traumatrized driver of the car that struck the man. What a nightmare
I wholeheartedly agree. I hope that Stephanie can get past this unfortunate interaction with a known belligerent drunk who has not cared , for at least the last five years , who he picks a fight with , steals from , pisses off or generally runs the life of .
Way to kick a man when he’s down. I hope nothing troubling ever happens to anyone you know. Have a good day.
I am generally on the side of the pedestrian when it comes to car vs pedestrian collisions, as most drivers aren’t as attentive as they should be, however when I learned the identity of this victim, I was not surprised. In recent months his behavior has become more and more aggressive, combative, and inappropriate.
You won’t have to deal with him anymore. Or did you ever have contact with Troy? Or you just jump on the hate wagon because…
Whatever the case might be. He is dead. He won’t be bothering any of you high and mighties any longer.
I feel it’s my duty to respond to such heartless people as Troy was an actual friend, he isn’t here to defend himself at this time so I will.
What does “walking within the lanes” mean?
It means he appeared to think that he was a car.
It means he was walking in the traffic lanes of the freeway and not on the side of the highway. A sad and tragic mistake.
If it was just north of Indianola, he could have been in the acceleration lane, where the shoulder was reduced from 8′ to 4′.
What a horrible experience for everybody. For my mental and physical health, I will not let external events darken my day. Thank you, responders. True heroes!
My sympathy for Ms. Mellen who I am sure is completely traumatized from that accident. My condolences to the family and friends of Troy Rassbach for his untimely death. May he RIP. God bless all involved.
Rest in piece Troy.
I worked with Troy in Arcata at pacific Clear’s. Nicest guy you’re gonna meet. He has a drinking problem these past few years. Lots of d I ps. Sorry to hear about this ole buddy.
One hellava fisherman that’s for sure. #fishon!
I knew Troy as well, but only in the past few years, in which he seemed in bad shape a lot of those times. Was always kind, friendly, & appreciative to me though despite his issues. I’ve seen him traveling the safety corridor frequently as his stomping grounds lately have been Arcata and Eureka. Super sad, sorry it happened this way, RIP Troy.
And condolences to the driver, thank you for sticking around and know it is not your fault!
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Sorry your friend was killed. Sounds like he left you with some nice memories my friend.
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Sending you a hug, Gazoo.
Thank you miss Kym!! 🫶🏼
I heard he assaulted a county bus driver last week. Yeah, a bus driver
I heard he passed away this week…sorry that is your only memory of him, he was a lot of things…
Son, brother and friend to many.
Hope nothing troubling in life ever happens to anyone you know.
You’re a good person Gazoo…..society could learn a lot from your compassion. Things can change quickly in life. People react differently to tough times. Anyone reading Kym’s site could one day find there life turned upside down. One minute the world 🌎 is your oyster and the next minute your walking down the highway in the fog in the middle of the night 🌙. This could literally happen to anyone….
Thank you for the kind words. I hope you have a great weekend. Stay safe out there 🫶🏼
I just found out today 8/30/22 that Troy passed away. I knew him from grammar school and the neighborhood. So sorry to hear that he had been having difficulties in life. Sympathy to his family and to the driver of the Honda. I can’t even imagine the trauma this incident could cause a person.