El Dorado County woman hospitalized after accident on Rubicon Trail

By Ed Fletcher, Sacramento Bee

An El Dorado Hills woman remained in critical condition Monday after her vehicle rolled off the Rubicon Trail, causing a 2-acre forest fire and stranding as many as 300 other Jeeps participating in the Jeepers Jamboree.

Rachel Anne Gray, 21, was part of a large caravan of off-road enthusiasts driving north on an El Dorado County road early Saturday evening when the 1961 Jeep Willy she was driving careened off an embankment near Cadillac Hill, said Officer Dan Stark, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

The vehicle overturned several times, ejecting Gray and a 34-year-old male passenger from Pilot Hill before catching fire, Stark said. Both Gray and the passenger were transported to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, he said.

A hospital spokeswoman confirmed Gray’s condition early Monday afternoon. The passenger suffered minor injuries.

By early Monday morning, the fire was contained and the rugged, rocky road reopened.

Lacey Stiles, an employee of the Georgetown-based event, said the trail was reopened at 7am thanks to the U.S. Forest Service, which is battling the fire.

While some of the Jeeps turned back, most – lacking enough fuel for the return trip – waited out the fire before completing the final three to four hours of the trip toward Lake Tahoe.