Foothills orchestra conductor dies in crash

The victim of a fatal Yuba County crash Tuesday night has been identified as a well-known orchestra conductor from Oregon House.

The fatal victim was idenitfied Wednesday morning by Yuba County sheriff's deputies as Michael Goodwin, 65.

"It's just a terrible loss for the local music community," said David Springfield, a friend of the Veridian Orchestra conductor. "Above all, he was a wonderful, caring human being."

The CHP said Goodwin was traveling about 5:45 p.m. at "a speed that was unsafe" for the rain-slick narrow mountain roadway. Goodwin's eastbound car lost traction and spun counter-clockwise into the westbound lane, directly into path of an oncoming vehicle.

The vehicles collided and went off the north side of Highway 20 near Timbuctoo Road at an undetermined rate of speed, authorities said.

Both vehicles slid more than 50 feet down the steep, densely-wooded, muddy embankment.

The CHP said alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the accident.

Two young boys and their mother, all from Browns Valley, had minor injuries, the CHP said.

Delta Dawn Armtrout, 26, and her children, Michael, 15; and Brody, 6, were taken to Rideout Memorial Hospital.

The family was driving a white sport-utility vehicle, which wrapped around a large tree, witnesses said.

All three complained of back and neck pain and were taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

The family was pulled from the wreckage by passing motorists, who climbed down the hill, and carried at least one of the children back up to arriving emergency response crews.

"I had to grab him and carry him back up the bank there," said Marysville's Steven Jones. "They were pretty shook up, but they look like they're going to be all right."

Jones, a local minister and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. employee, was driving home from work and pulled over when he saw a crowd gathering around the crash sites.

"It was me and another guy, just trying to help out," Jones said.

Firefighters responded from Browns Valley, Smartsville and Penn Valley, along with Yuba County sheriff's deputies.

Traffic was backed up hundreds of yards in both directions.

CONTACT Rob Parsons at rparsons@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4785. Find him on Facebook at /ADcrimebeat or on Twitter at @ADcrimebeat.