[UPDATE 11:33 a.m.: CHP Now Reports This Is a Fatal Crash] Major Injury Fiery Crash on 101 Near Fortuna
Smoke rises from the two vehicles. The dark vehicle appears to have been headed south in the northbound lane. [Updated with a zoomed image from the original photo by Cynthia Nabayan at 1:45 p.m.]
Two people were trapped and received major injuries and are now being taken by two ambulances to the hospital.
Northbound Hwy 101 is being diverted onto the Hwy 36 offramp and then back onto Hwy 101 north of the crash.
Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more facts become available.
UPDATE 11:33 a.m.: The CHP Traffic Incident Information Page reports this is now a fatal crash.
Please note: An earlier version of this story placed the accident one exit south of where it actually is located.
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Prayers?????
I love you guys. You must be tuned to the scanner at all times because your news posts are so timely! Much appreciated, especially as one prepares to get on the road. Happy new year!
Yes…
Thank you!
What exactly happened? Head on? Same direction? Stop sign?
We don’t have an official report. However, one commenter on Facebook appears to have been an eyewitness and describes what he says he saw. https://www.facebook.com/RedheadedBlackbelt/posts/pfbid036maqHfuifWf4By6tF3bWmTzJjJ2GvCDFYrFo9bdg4VSWMFMmHKEVTX8BU59UwhEQl
Thank you! Very much apperciated!??
You can’t read all the comments without a Facebook account. I know it sounds crazy, but there are a few of us left not on Facebook, ha ha.
At this point, the person has deleted their comments.
Happy new year?? Have some respect for the person who passed! And their families.
Use your head man, SO rude
At a time like this, the only polite thing to do is lash out at other comments.
??????
Dammit, so sorry to hear about this.
I am so very sorry for the person(s) that were killed in that accident. Condolences to the family(s) and friend(s). A sad way to end 2022. Hope the two people headed to the hospital will make a complete recovery from injuries.
I was heading south bound and first saw an ambulance speeding towards Eureka. Then came to the accident scene I few minutes later. Crazy first responder showing! The roadway was still smoking for a hundred yards? Wild scene.
Very sad to see what was obviously a terrible accident.
Kym, while I do understand and appreciate freedom of the press, I do NOT appreciate you using photos of accidents on your blog or social media posts. In this particular situation the gentleman who passed away was a very close family friend. His nephew had to find out about his death via this picture before family even had a chance to leave the hospital and start calling other family members. Shame on you and shame on the members of the public that feel compelled to take photos and share other people’s tragedies for their own attention.
Kirsten, I am sorry for any pain posting this caused. But at the same time, I’ve had other family members learn about situations from photos I’ve posted, thank me. One woman told me she made it to the hospital bed of a loved one before he passed because of the photo I posted. She was glad I posted. How does the press know ahead of time whether an image will help or hurt?
This is something I’ve thought about and continue to think about almost every week as I write about fatal fires, crashes, and other tragedies. I’ve mulled over this for 15 years trying hard to make sure I’m doing the right thing by posting images. (Yes, there are images we choose not to post.) I continually reevaluate especially when I think of somehow hurting a suffering family member.
But, I’m the kind of person who likes to face bad events head-on. In pondering this type of situation, I came to the conclusion that the pain of knowing my husband or my child died in an accident would not somehow be lessened by getting a phone call from the county coroner rather than seeing the image of their car crash and knowing they had died.
I also thought about larger events: should the press not have posted photos of the Twin Towers falling? Families learned that their loved ones might be dead from seeing burning buildings long before they got a call. What about plane crashes? Train wrecks? Shootings?
The community can understand where an accident is and even some of why it occurred better because of images. And in some cases, the dangers they face themselves when traveling. The same with fires, shootings, etc.
But, I’m never absolutely sure I’m right. And I am sorry for causing pain.
I have to stand up for Kym, I felt depressed all day about this after hearing the fire alarms and reading the news. Not knowing anything if it may be somebody I know. Information is information, analytical and unbiased. Showing a distant image of an event helps a lot of people grasp an event to help understand the situation. I am still very upset about the accident on a holiday weekend. Be extra safe people and slow down and stay alert.
Thank you, Kym. Know that we trust your judgment when making these heart-wrenching decisions. We love you.
An ethical journalist is supposed to be uncomfortable with decisions like this. Your doubt and ongoing reevaluation show that you are aware of the competing interests and that you care about the people affected. Thank you for doing the work we benefit from with the ethical effort it deserves.
And shame on everyone who happened to be there. Look away. Let’s pretend it didn’t happen. There’s nothing to learn from, here. If one person managed to get on the freeway going the wrong way, it will surely never happen again…as long as we ignore what happens around us. If I’m able to avoid this discussion with my kids, if Fortuna/CalTrans never examines the off ramp used in reverse, we will live as immortals.
Wow, maybe delete the shame part.
Kristen – sorry for your friend’s loss. Grief is a a very long road to travel. They are lucky to have you on their side.
Kym does the community a huge service, by keeping us informed of the good, bad & the in between. Tragedies happen & it is important for them to be reported on, so others can learn from it.
News reporting is bound to offend one’s sensibilities, from time-to-time. The good news is, you have the power to chose not to read the news.
I am so sorry.
I seen that on my way north this morning, there was so much smoke coming from that rig. How sad ?
Kirstin, kym does a fantastic job keeping everyone informed, sorry for your loss and simple solution for you is to delete Redheaded black belt from your phone or computer. Then you can depend on hear say and the shit show at the 5 o’clock channel 3news. The bottom line, Kym and her staff are awesome for quick and very good at what they report
I just wanted to make a comment I’m so glad that everybody has to turn to the journalist and praises her for the local news. And I’m so glad that there are people that actually make it to the hospital before their loved ones pass because of her stories. I just want to say that the families involved the brother, the best friend, the sister sister-in-law’s, the nephews and the nieces as well as the fiance didn’t have the same sentiment. Freedom of press is freedom of speech which I do understand but sometimes tact is helpful. The man died in this tragic accident and this scene depicts the last moments before his death. So on behalf of the people who love this person and his fiance which is now grieving without him your reporting and picture was not valued in this situation. Perhaps the last scene of a fiery crash isn’t what people who love this person really wants to see and hear irregardless of what everybody else wants reported.
Donna, I am so sorry for what your family is going through. The pain of such an unexpected loss over the holidays must be almost unbearable. Sometimes a news site that is concerned with providing information for people who want to understand a situation is not gentle and sensitive enough for those who are raw with hurt. At this point, the article is no longer current and has to be sought so hopefully, that will provide a helpful cushion and all who wish to avoid it, can do so.
Donna,
Your comment is well written, perfectly understandable, and certainly worthy of due consideration. I’m sorry for your loss. I wish that I could have been there to try and extinguish the fire.
I agree, pictures like that don’t serve the greater good. They just don’t.
Kim,
I am the sister of the man who was killed in the yellow truck. I wasn’t able to find anything of any help in the “regular news”. I appreciate your reporting on the tragic death of my brother. By seeing the scene of the accident it has helped me get some clarity on the tragic end of his life at someone else’s horrible mistake. So, thank you for the picture. What we all need to understand is that all grief is handled individually, what may not have helped someone else helped me tremendously.
I know this is old news. I am still trying to find out information, I am seeking closure. What happened to the person in the black car? I heard he was impaired, does anyone know if that is true. Has he survived? How is it possible to enter the freeway on the wrong side, is cal trans looking into it? Any information or contact info would be appreciated. Thank you
Stacy, I am so sorry for your loss. The CHP Humboldt division are investigating the incident. (707) 822-5981 is their number. Call Monday after 8 a.m. Hopefully, they can answer some of your questions. And at the least can let you know when they have completed their investigation.
Stacy I don’t know if you remember me I’m Donna who live with your mom when we were kids. My mom was devastated by this blow as they had rekindled after all these years about 6 years ago. The man in the black car is Anthony Grayson who has been charged with methamphetamines and has a long criminal history of drugs. It was said that he was impaired but he was in the hospital and lived. The da is still pending charges on him of which they should. I contacted a gentleman who sat with Harry in the beginning before the paramedics came and he told me quite a bit of information. If you’re interested please contact me I can give you more details. At this point in time though charges are still pending I just checked with the Humboldt county DA today. We’ve had no one contact my mom about his whereabouts and she’s been nothing but depressed and miserable since December 31st. If you have any updates I’d greatly appreciate it.