NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Ukiah man died of his injuries Tuesday morning following a two-vehicle wreck on Highway 20 near Calpella.
Joseph Denson, 32, was the victim of the wreck, which occurred at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday on Highway 20 at Road A, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Ukiah Area office.
The CHP said Denson was driving a 2014 Mercedes C250 sedan eastbound, approaching Road A, at approximately 55 miles per hour.
Traveling westbound at the same time was 48-year-old Christian Hunt of Lakeport, driving a 2019 Jeep Cherokee 55 miles per hour, the CHP said.
Conditions were rainy and cloudy at the time of the wreck, the CHP reported.
The CHP said that, for unknown reasons, the Mercedes’ wheels lost traction on the roadway surface, causing the car to begin rotating in a counter-clockwise direction before entering the westbound lane, directly in the path of Hunt’s Jeep.
Hunt attempted to brake and steer the Jeep to the right but was unable to avoid a collision with Denson’s Mercedes. The CHP said the front end of the Jeep collided with the right side of the Mercedes.
The Mercedes came to rest on its wheels, facing in an easterly direction, partially blocking both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Highway 20. The CHP said the Jeep came to rest on its wheels on the highway’s north shoulder, facing in a westerly direction.
The CHP said Denson died of his injuries at the scene. Hunt suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Ukiah Valley Medical Center for treatment.
Both men were wearing their seat belts at the time of the wreck, the CHP reported.
The highway was closed for nearly two hours, with the CHP reporting that it reopened just before 9:45 a.m.
In addition to the CHP, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, Medstar Ambulance, Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department and Caltrans responded to the scene.
The CHP said the cause of the collision remains under investigation. So far, neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been factors in the crash.
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One killed in crash on Highway 20 near Calpella
- Elizabeth Larson
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