A 26-year-old Carson City man died and a Reno man is in critical condition today after an early morning rollover accident on Highway 395 south of Gardnerville, reports the Nevada Highway Patrol.
NHP continues to investigate what caused the 1998 Dodge Durango to skid off the road and down a 40 feet embankment, rolling over several times near Courtland Lane in Douglas County, Trooper Chuck Allen said. The accident was reported at 5:14 a.m. The deceased Carson City man's name hasn't been released. The man in critical condition was taken to Renown Medical Center in Reno and is reported to be critically injured. His name was also not released.
Preliminary crash investigation details indicate the 26-year-old Carson City driver of the SUV allowed his vehicle to drift off the right roadway edge when he over-corrected his vehicle’s steering to the left and again to the right, Allen said. The vehicle entered a broad-side skid and departed the right roadway edge and proceeded to travel approximately 40 feet down an embankment where it rolled over multiple times, Allen said.
The vehicle came to rest on its wheels facing south approximately 250 feet away from the highway in a field. This section of Highway 395 is a two-lane highway with a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour. It is unknown this morning if alcohol was a contributing factor, Allen said.
The 26-year-old driver was thrown from the vehicle as it rolled over and sustained fatal injuries at the scene. The passenger, a 34-year-old Reno resident, was seat belted and remained inside the vehicle during the crash. He was flown to Renown Regional Medical Center by Care Flight with life-threatening injuries, Allen said.
The Major Accident Investigation Team will be investigating this crash. Witnesses or anyone with information, are encouraged to contact Trooper Robert Haigney at (775) 689-4682 regarding case # NHP-1105220105.
As a reminder, seat belts do save lives and the annual “Click it or Ticket” seat belt awareness and enforcement campaign starts Monday and continues through Sunday, June 5, Allen said.