 | Fatal crash | E. 22nd Street and State Route 20, Marysville CA 95901 |
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Marysville crash kills Recology driver
A 43-year-old Recology Yuba-Sutter driver died Tuesday when his dump truck collided with a gravel truck in east Marysville.
The accident occurred about 3:30 p.m. on rain-soaked Highway 20 just south of East 22nd Street. It wasn't immediately clear if the unusual late-June rainstorm was a factor.
Recology officials identified the driver as Gary Mathis, a north Yuba City resident, after family members were notified.
A neighbor who was standing on a balcony at a nearby apartment building said she saw the eastbound dump truck collide with the westbound JS Trucking big rig. She withheld her name.
The front trailer of the double-trailer big rig crushed the cab of the dump truck, instantly killing Mathis. The rear trailer broke loose and came to rest in the middle of the highway.
Dave Vaughn, Recology vice president and general manager, positively identified Mathis at the accident scene. He worked about five years for Recology and had a minor daughter, Vaughn said.
Vaughn said Mathis was headed back to Recology headquarters at 3001 North Levee Road at the end of his work day.
"He was a good employee," Vaughn said.
The big rig driver, who was not immediately identified, was taken by ambulance to Rideout Memorial Hospital. The extent of his injuries were unavailable. The truck's cab was largely intact.
The Marysville Police Department is investigating the accident with the help of the California Highway Patrol's major accident investigation team.
Police Chief Wallace Fullerton said it was not clear what caused the collision.
At about 4:30 p.m., a heavy duty tow truck driver was preparing to lift the truck's front trailer off the cab of the dump truck as numerous onlookers stood in the rain behind a fence west of the highway.
The fatal crash was one of several accidents Tuesday in the Yuba-Sutter area, all with minor or no injuries, including at least three on Highway 70 south of Marysville where another Recology dump truck caught fire. Vaughn said the fire apparently started in the truck's load.
