COARSEGOLD — A single-vehicle crash blocked the southbound lane of Highway 41 for over an hour today just north of Coarsegold.
At 11:41 this morning, a 39-year-old Coarsegold man was northbound in a 2002 Chevy Duramax pickup, pulling a trailer, just north of the Broken Bit.
According to the driver, a woman driving a car southbound at his location was not looking at the road and crossed the center line directly into his path.
With no shoulder on his side of the road, the man says he was forced into the rock wall in order to avoid a head-on collision. The truck hit the embankment, causing it to roll onto the driver’s side, coming to rest blocking the southbound lane. The driver says the woman who forced him off the road just kept going and didn’t stop.
Several passersby did stop and helped the driver climb out the passenger door. He appeared to be uninjured other than a cut to his forehead.
Traffic was able to get by in the northbound lane, and southbound traffic drove off onto the wide dirt shoulder until the tow truck arrived.
At about 12:20 p.m., Highway 41 was closed in both directions as the vehicles were righted and cleared from the roadway. Both lanes were re-opened at 1:05 p.m.
The accident is under investigation.
