Grass Valley man dies in head-on collision

A 61-year-old driver died in a head-on vehicle collision in Linda, one of two serious road accidents Saturday in Yuba County.

Thomas Whitman of Grass Valley was at the wheel of a 1999 Hyundai that crashed into an oncoming car in the 2900 block of Hammonton-Smartville Road west of Bryden Road, the California Highway Patrol reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

At 1:05 p.m., Whitman was headed east on Hammonton-Smartville as a 2001 Toyota driven by a 17-year-old Olivehurst boy was headed west. The teenager, whose name was not immediately released, apparently fell asleep at the wheel and drifted over the center line before jerking his car back into the westbound lane, according to the CHP. As Whitman swerved left to try to avoid a collision, the cars struck head-on.

Two Winton residents riding in the Toyota, 18-year-old David Vang and a 12-year-old boy, suffered what CHP called major injuries in the wreck. The boy was flown by air ambulance to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, while Vang was taken to Rideout Memorial Hospital. The 17-year-old also was admitted to Rideout with moderate injuries.

A Rideout nursing supervisor listed Vang in fair condition Sunday night. The conditions of the two other survivors were not available.

Later Saturday, a 56-year-old motorcyclist was hospitalized with major injuries after a hit-and-run collision north of Plumas Lake.

At 4:10 p.m., John David Wirick of Auburn was riding a 2005 Harley-Davidson north on Plumas Arboga Road when an oncoming Chevrolet pickup drifted out of the southbound lane, the CHP said. Wirick veered away from the vehicle, but ran off the road onto the shoulder and struck a metal paddle marker. He was flown to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he remained in serious condition Sunday, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

The driver of the Chevrolet fled the scene, CHP said. Authorities described the pickup as an extended-cab model, brown or khaki with tinted rear windows. Anyone with information on the vehicle or its driver is asked to call CHP's Yuba City bureau at 674-5141.