The crash occurred on the southbound lanes of Highway 49 near the Broad Street overcrossing on January 14.
Nevada City, CA – A driver was killed Wednesday after a single-vehicle crash on Highway 49 sent a pickup truck over an overcrossing and into Deer Creek, authorities said.
The crash occurred on the southbound lanes of Highway 49 near the Broad Street overcrossing on January 14.
According to investigators, the driver lost control while navigating the curve beneath the overpass, crossed into the northbound lanes, traveled over the Broad Street offramp, and plunged into Deer Creek below.
California Highway Patrol officers and other emergency crews responded to reports of the overturned vehicle and worked to extricate the driver from the wreckage. The driver was transported by ambulance to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
No passengers were in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
The Broad Street offramp remained closed for several hours as crews conducted recovery operations and investigators examined the scene.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
According to data from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), Nevada City has experienced very low numbers of serious collisions in recent years. In 2023, OTS data reports zero total fatal and injury victims in Nevada City, with no alcohol-involved, motorcycle, pedestrian, or bicyclist injuries recorded; the city ranked toward the lower end of serious collision counts among similarly sized jurisdictions. However, there were 41 DUI arrests during that year, indicating impaired driving enforcement activity. Similarly, in 2022, no fatal or injury traffic victims were reported across all major crash categories, and Nevada City recorded 13 DUI arrests. Going further back to 2021, the trend of zero fatal and injury collisions continued, with 15 DUI arrests noted.
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