KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Three people were injured – two of them seriously – in a two-vehicle crash that occurred near Kelseyville early Thursday afternoon, with one of the drivers arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office reported that the wreck occurred just after noon on Highway 281/Soda Bay Road east of Montezuma Way.
Clearlake residents David Rank Jr., 37, and Carl Gott, 34, suffered major injuries in the wreck, while 77-year-old Kelseyville resident George Adams had minor injuries, the CHP said.
The CHP said Rank was driving a 1992 Acura with Gott riding as his passenger.
Prior to the collision, witnesses reported seeing Rank speeding, and passing on blind curves and crossing double-yellow lines, the CHP said.
Rank was driving the Acura eastbound on Soda Bay Road at 65 miles per hour in a 55-mile-per hour zone, while Adams was traveling westbound in a 2006 Dodge pickup at approximately 40 miles per hour, according to the CHP report.
The CHP said that, due to Rank's unsafe speed, he lost control of his vehicle and crossed into the opposing lane. He traveled directly into Adams' path, and the right side of the Acura collided with the front of the pickup.
Rank and Gott were transported by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.
The CHP placed Rank under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was cited and released to the hospital.
Witnesses at the scene reported that the Acura was destroyed by the crash, and appeared to have been smashed flat after rolling onto its roof.
Pictures of the wreck shared by Amber Holland, which are posted above and below, indicated that after it hit the pickup the Acura went through a fence and rolled down a small embankment, narrowly missing some nearby homes. The Dodge pickup sustained significant front end damage.
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Three injured in Thursday Soda Bay Road wreck; one driver arrested for DUI
- Elizabeth Larson
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