CHP on Thursday's fatal highway accidents, "There's not a lot of room for error on 299"

REDDING, Calif. — Thursday was a busy day for CHP's Northern Division, as the agency handled three separate fatality incidents.

Two of the collisions that occurred on Highway 299 were nearly identical: a semi vs. vehicle crash that killed the driver of the vehicle. The third was reported as an early-morning pedestrian vs. vehicle collision off of Highway 273.

KRCR spoke with CHP on Friday morning, and Sergeant Tim Hinkson summed up the day in five words.

"A sad day for Shasta County."

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In regards to the Highway 299 accidents, which occurred about six hours apart, Sgt. Hinkson says it’s hard to know what caused either collision.

Of the parties involved in each crash, one side suffered fatal injuries and each driver was driving without passengers. That means CHP can only hear one side of the story, which is from the perspective of the semi-truck driver. However, CHP did confirm that in both accidents, the driver of the vehicle, for whatever reason, crossed double yellow and swerved into the oncoming lane.

It’s the physical evidence that CHP will rely on as they investigate these cases, but one thing is certain: Highway 299 can often be a dangerous stretch of road.

"We always encourage people, especially out there on the 299 corridor to slow down; remain alert," the Sergeant said. "That road is narrow, it's windy and there’s not a lot of room for error."

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Hinkson said Thursday was possibly the craziest day he's experienced since joining the force.

"In the 14 years that I’ve been with the California Highway Patrol, I’ve never seen something where we’ve had 2 similar incidents—almost identical—in a short period of time," Hinkson told KRCR's Sam Chimenti.

Despite Thursday's unfortunate events, Hinkson would not call Highway 299 the most dangerous highway his division patrols. But he said given its layout, the outcome for drivers if they lose control is either into the opposite lane or off the road entirely; 299 does not have many turnouts or shoulders.

Hinkson also shared a few alarming facts. In California, speeding is the number-one cause of death in traffic collisions; in 2020 alone, over 500 deaths on state highways were caused by speeding, according to Hinkson. The Sergeant says Thursday was a reminder that "driving is dangerous."

Furthermore, the Office of Traffic Safety says that 1 in 10 traffic deaths in America happens in California.

Drive safely, everyone.

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