Vehicle Hits Stranded Man on Hwy. 49
By Doug Mattson - Wednesday, March 22, 2000
California Highway Patrol officers check marks on Highway 49 south of Grass Valley after an accident in which a man was struck while standing behind his disabled pickup. (Photo by John Hart)
A 37-year-old Auburn man was in critical condition with massive injuries Tuesday after he was struck standing behind his stranded vehicle on Highway 49 near Lime Kiln Road.
John A. Benedict suffered a broken neck, back and ribs and was unconscious when he was flown by California Highway Patrol helicopter to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, CHP Officer Dave Sullivan said.
The first at the scene, Sullivan found Benedict face down in a water-filled ditch, and he and firefighter Dan Rabe of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection administered CPR, Sullivan said.
Benedict began breathing but remained unconscious, Sullivan said. A Sutter Roseville supervising nurse on Tuesday night said Benedict was in critical condition.
Benedict began breathing but remained unconscious, Sullivan said. A Sutter Roseville supervising nurse on Tuesday night said Benedict was in critical condition.
At about 8:30 a.m., according to Sullivan, Benedict was about 15 feet behind his pickup, in the shoulder, when he was struck by a 1974 Plymouth four-wheel-drive wagon driven by Brad A. Melton, 20, of Auburn. Melton was driving about 55 mph, Sullivan said.
Melton's vehicle rolled and was struck by another northbound vehicle, a Ford Econoline van driven by Mark Piscitelli, 40, of Citrus Heights, Sullivan said.
Melton complained of neck pain but refused treatment, and Piscitelli wasn't injured.
The crash stopped traffic for an hour, until 9:40 a.m. Soon after traffic resumed, there was a minor two-vehicle crash that resulted in no injuries to one driver and complaints of minor pain from the other.
Sullivan spoke with both Melton and Piscitelli and got different accounts of what happened.
Melton said he was following another vehicle that braked, causing him to brake and swerve into the southbound lane before swerving back into the northbound lane and striking Benedict, Sullivan said.
Piscitelli said he didn't notice anyone driving in front of Melton's vehicle, but the Plymouth was large and could have blocked his view of any vehicles in front of it, Sullivan said.
The crash remains under investigation.
Back to NCCFD in the Newspaper
