CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Authorities are continuing their work to determine what led to a crash last month that killed a well-known rancher and resulted in a Clearlake woman's arrest for driving under the influence.
The California Highway Patrol released a report on the May 18 wreck on Wednesday. The report had not been released earlier due to an oversight, the agency said.
The crash claimed the life of 81-year-old Clifford Hellgren of Clearlake Oaks, the CHP said.
The CHP said that at 8:10 a.m. May 18 Hellgren was driving a 2013 Kubota RTV 900, a small utility vehicle, on private property at 1100 Sulphur Bank Drive, south of Highway 20.
As Hellgren was crossing the roadway from west to east, between ranch properties, he was hit by a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV driven northbound by 47-year-old Melodie Anne Boughton of Clearlake, the CHP said.
The CHP said Hellgren was ejected from the vehicle as a result of the impact. Reports from the scene had indicated he had been trapped under the vehicle, which rolled to the east shoulder and came to rest in its wheels, facing a northeasterly direction.
Boughton's Hyundai stopped, on its wheels, east of the roadway and facing a northerly direction, the CHP said.
Firefighters had requested an air ambulance to take Hellgren to a trauma center, but the helicopter later was canceled and they transported Hellgren to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake, according to radio reports.
The CHP said Hellgren subsequently died of his injuries.
Boughton was taken to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and later arrested, the CHP said.
The Lake County Sheriff's booking logs indicated that the CHP arrested Boughton about an hour after the crash. She was booked into the jail for misdemeanor driving under the influence charges.
The collision remains under investigation by Officer Joel Skeen, with Officer Kory Reynolds – the local CHP office's public information officer – adding that there were no updates yet available.
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Fatal May 18 Clearlake Oaks wreck remains under investigation
- Elizabeth Larson
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