NEVADA CITY, Calif. February 21, 2017 – A Caltrans worker had a very close encounter with a tree coming down on the roadway on Hwy 49 near Tyler Foote on the San Juan Ridge last night shortly at 2:05 am.
According to reports, the driver saw the tree coming down from the west side of Hwy 49 as he was driving northbound.
In a bit of very quick thinking, he leaned over onto the passenger side as the tree crashed down on the cab of the truck. As you can see in the pictures, the cab was almost completely flattened.
The driver was able to exit the truck on the passenger side and contacted emergency services. North San Juan Fire, Caltrans and CHP responded to the scene at 2:06 am. The driver was evaluated by medics and taken to the hospital with minor injuries. According to all reports, he is OK.
Hwy 49 was closed in both directions for approximately one hour as the tree was removed. AT&T responded to the incident as the tree had snagged phone lines.
The roadway was completely cleared by 3:45 am after the investigation was completed and the truck removed.