The Times-Standard
CRESCENT CITY, Calif. — Three Crescent City people sustained major injuries in a two-vehicle collision during a hailstorm on Sunday on U.S. Highway 101 near Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway.
At about 9:30 a.m., Julius Chernak, 64, was driving his 2006 Dodge pickup southbound on Highway 101, and Alisa Short, 31, was driving northbound in her 1999 GMC Suburban, according to the California Highway Patrol press release.
The entire highway was covered with hail, and both drivers were going about 60 mph about a mile south of the line between Humboldt and Del Norte counties, according to CHP. Short reportedly observed Chernak’s vehicle spin out of control and enter the northbound lane directly in front of her Suburban.
Short hit the brakes and veered right but was unable to avoid a collision, and her vehicle struck the right side of the pickup.
Emergency personnel from the Del Norte Fire Department, Del Norte Ambulance and CHP responded to the incident. Chernak, Short and Short’s passenger, 24-year-old Jessica Barbee, were all transported to Sutter Coast Hospital with major injuries.
The collision is under investigation, and no enforcement action was taken at the scene, according to CHP. Alcohol and drugs are not being considered a factor in the collision.
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