COARSEGOLD – A Thursday afternoon collision on Highway 41 involving a motor home and late model Chrysler 200 sedan proved fatal for the driver of the sedan, who reportedly was coming from a Thanksgiving gathering.
The accident occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m. near Road 416 about a mile south of Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino.
According to preliminary reports from CHP, the white sedan had just emerged onto Highway 41 from Road 416 when the collision happened.
Witnesses told CHP the driver of the sedan was “coming in hot on a curve.”
Initial accounts from the scene report the driver of the sedan, whose name has not been released, turned in front of the motor home, causing the vehicles to collide. Both vehicles then veered off the highway and crashed into a hillside bank off the northbound lane of Highway 41.
The Jaws of Life had to be used to extract the driver of the sedan, who died at the scene.
The passenger in the sedan, reported to be the driver’s wife, was also injured and transported to the hospital.
Several passengers in the motor home, including the driver, also reportedly suffered “minor” injuries, according to witnesses at the scene.
There are no preliminary indications drugs or alcohol played a role in the accident, according to CHP.
Traffic on Highway 41 was temporarily halted in both directions while emergency personnel responded to the scene.
*This story will be updated when more information becomes available.
