Three taken by Care Flight in Highway 395 accident at Jacks Valley; traffic backed up for miles
Five people were injured in an accident that occurred at approximately 1 p.m. at Highway 395 and Jacks Valley Road. Three of those injured were taken by Care Flight to Renown Medical Center in Reno, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.
Southbound traffic on South Carson Street was backed up all the way to Colorado Street as of 4:15 p.m. The backstreets are also filling up as people search for a way around the blockage caused by the accident.
The following is a statement from Trooper Chuck Allen of the Nevada Highway Patrol:
This afternoon at approximately 1:02 pm, troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol were dispatched to a multiple-vehicle crash on southbound Highway 395 Jacks Valley Road in Douglas County, south of Carson City. Upon our arrival we learned that a total of seven vehicles were involved in a chain reaction rear-end collision.
For reasons still to be determined, the driver of an eighteen wheeled commercial motor vehicle that was traveling south on the highway, approaching the intersection of Jacks Valley Road, failed to stop safely for stopped traffic. There were 6 other southbound vehicles stopped or almost stopped for the red traffic signal light at that intersection. Those vehicles included a green Honda Civic 2-door, a green Ford Explorer SUV, a gold BMW X5 SUV, a black Chevrolet van, a white International dump truck, and a silver Buick 4-door sedan.
The driver of the 18-wheeler applied the brakes and slammed into the green Honda and the green Explorer. The Explorer was forced into the adjacent white dump and also struck the black Chevrolet van, while the Honda struck the back of the BMW. The Chevrolet van then struck the rear of the silver Buick 4-door sedan.
There were two women and a young man riding in the Ford Explorer. They had to be extricated from their SUV by fire department personnel. The two women were airlifted by Care Flight helicopter to Renown for injuries believed to be critical, while the young man was transported to a local hospital. The driver of the green Honda was airlifted in a second Care Flight helicopter and also flown to Renown for injuries believed to be serious. The only other claimed injured was from the female passenger riding in the silver Buick. In all eleven motorists and seven vehicles were involved.
Both southbound lanes were blocked because of the sandwiched vehicles and the completion of the on-scene portion of the investigation. Southbound traffic was rerouted onto Jacks Valley Road by Nevada Department of Transportation personnel. Those travel lanes are expected to be opened and the scene cleared by 5:00 pm.
More information, to include the updated medical conditions and the names of those involved, should be released and available tomorrow.
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