Major injury accident sends 3 to hospital, closes Hwy. 50

By Kathryn Reed

A major accident Saturday morning in front of Lira’s Market in Meyers sent two people to Renown Medical Center in Reno with major injuries and one to Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe.

The two people in a mini van refused treatment.

What's left of the Audi. Photos/Lake Valley Fire Department

This was one of four accidents the local California Highway Patrol office worked that day.

The cause of the 8:10am accident that closed Highway 50 in both directions for 45 minutes is still under investigation. It was open to one-way traffic for 20 minutes until all the debris could be cleared from the road.

Two helicopters landed in the parking lot of the grocery store – one from CalSTAR, the other from CareFlight. Flown out were a 42-year-old male from South Lake Tahoe driving an Audi and a 43-year-old woman from Sacramento driving a 4-Runner.

Taken by ambulance to Barton was a 55-year-old male from Sacramento riding in the Toyota.

Lake Valley fire Capt. Chad Stephen said his department needed to use rescue tools to extricate one of the drivers.

“It was a bad mess and cars were all over the place,” Stephen said.

The mini van ended up off the highway.

CHP Officer Chuck Brothers said the Audi was west on Highway 50 near the Chevron station when it drifted into the eastbound lane, striking the driver’s side of the 4-Runner.

“The first collision caused the Audi to spin and the rear end of the Audi to collide with the front of the mini van,” Brothers said. “Based on the damage to the Audi, there is definitely some speed involved.”

He said no obvious signs of alcohol were apparent.

The speed limit there is 40mph.

An accident at 1:25pm on Saturday at Pickett’s Junction, the intersection of highways 88 and 89, sent three people to Barton. Three South Lake Tahoe residents in a Jeep Cherokee had minor injuries. The driver, a 50-year-old male, had injuries from the airbag; the 53-year-old female passenger had abrasions from the seat belt; and an 18-year-old male had minor injuries.

The driver of the Dodge, who is from the Central Valley, was not injured.

An accident at Highway 89 and South Upper Truckee Road involving a Porsche and Harley-Davidson resulted in no injuries.

A cyclist was flown to Renown with major head injuries when he tumbled onto the road near Jameson Beach. Brothers said the 42-year-old male from South Lake Tahoe was intoxicated. CalSTAR took him to the hospital at 4:25pm.