Accidents

UPDATE: 5:09PM: A female passenger on a motorcycle died this Labor Day and the driver was seriously injured on Highway 50 near Glenbrook, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol. In a separate accident on Mount Rose Highway a motorcyclist has also died.
The Highway 50 accident, reported at 3:13 Monday afternoon near Logan Creek on the East Shore of Lake Tahoe, shut down traffic in the eastbound lane. Traffic, as of 5 p.m. continued to be diverted to the westbound lane, said NHP Trooper Barbara Stapleton.

The Carson City Sheriff's Office has stepped up its efforts to get intoxicated drivers off the road. Beginning Thursday through Sept. 5, patrol officers will be out in full force as part of a citywide crackdown on drunk driving. Saturation patrols, as they are called, aim to identify, stop and remove drunk and impaired drivers, said Carson City Sheriff's Sgt. Darrin Sloan in a news release.

Saturday night’s racing program at Fernley 95A Speedway started off with every car present on track for a tribute to fallen racer Tommy Teters, who passed away recently. Teters’ sprint car took one last lap and the checkered flag.

CARSON CITY – It probably comes as no surprise to many Nevada motorists that the state is ranked in the Top 10 as one of the most dangerous in which to drive.

Nevada rounded out the top 10 states for dangerous driving with 1.56 fatalities for every 100 million miles driven, according to the report by carinsurancecomparison.com.

The runaway truck ramp at the bottom of Mount Rose Highway in Incline Village was the scene of another tragedy today as a truck driver was killed trying to stop his vehicle using the ramp.

The Nevada Highway Patrol reports that the truck was carrying composite decking material on a flatbed trailer. The driver used the ramp to stop the vehicle, but the cargo broke loose and crushed the cab of the truck.

Trooper Chuck Allen from the Nevada Highway Patrol reports that in spite the combination of very high winds and snow in Washoe Valley, only three accidents were reported.

He released this statement:

Nevada Highway Patrol is reporting that the agency responded to a total of 27 crashes this morning due to the slick conditions. Two of those incidents were in the Carson City area, including one that resulted in a minor injury.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States – more than cancer, accidents, and communicable diseases.

Each year, nearly one in four deaths is caused by heart disease, but luckily, this is something we can all work together to change. There are many risk factors for heart disease: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, overweight and obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity and alcohol use. Many of these risk factors can be modified or eliminated by choosing to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Freshly fallen snow and cold temperatures made for challenging driving conditions this morning and caused several fender benders on Interstate 80 between the E. McCarran Blvd and Waltham Way interchanges, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

In light of the recent accidents involving pedestrians who have been struck and killed and the fac

Carson City Sheriff's deputies arrested David Anthony Patten, 19, an unemployed Carson City resident, at 10:51 a.m. Friday, near the 500 block of Country Village Drive in Carson City. Patten was arrested for a felony probation violation, a felony failure to appear warrant, and an unspecified misdemeanor felony. No bail has been set.

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Juan Diaz-Rodriguez, 44, of Carson City, was arrested at around noon Friday near the 1900 block of North Carson Street. Diaz-Rodriguez was arrested for a felony fraud of a business. Bail is set at $7,500.

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RENO - A rash of accidents involving motor vehicles and abandoned domestic horses on three rural highways in northern Nevada is prompting the removal of as many as 100 of the animals from the range...

The Nevada Highway Patrol is cautioning motorists who travel on SR 341, or Geiger Grade, about the increased presence of wild horses that have been gathering near or crossing the section of highway between the round-about at Veterans Parkway and Virginia City. Additionally, two horses, to include a young colt and an adult horse, have been struck and killed in two separate accidents over the past week.

By Chuck Allen / Nevada Highway Patrol
The annual 2011 Street Vibrations motorcycle event created a lot of traffic on northern Nevada roadways resulting in numerous service calls for troopers with the Nevada Highway Patrol. Additional troopers were placed on duty throughout the entire event in an effort to create a highly visible presence on our area’s highways and to handle the anticipated larger volume of calls for service.

Alcohol or drug impairment is suspected in four separate motorcycle accidents which occurred Saturday afternoon on State Route 341, officials say.The first incident happened at SR341 and Lousetown ...

We had two grim reminders last week of the danger inherent in all motor sports. Although I primarily cover events involving four-wheeled vehicles, I have a healthy respect for motorcycle, boat, and...

By Chuck Allen, NHP
The Labor Day holiday weekend produced a high volume of traffic on northern Nevada highways resulting in a large number of calls for service. During the three-day weekend, nineteen people were arrested in the Reno-Sparks area with fifteen of those arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Troopers assigned to the Carson City area logged 3 DUI arrests. The DUI arrest activity for Lovelock, Fernley, Fallon and Hawthorne was not available this morning.

If you’re spending Labor Day weekend in rural Nevada, beware. Drivers are more than twice as likely to die in a car crash on a rural road than on other roads throughout the state.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is will be out in full force through Labor Day looking out for drunk drivers.

Each year nearly 11,000 people die on the road due to drunk driving. Every day alcohol related accidents contribute to 1,440 injuries and 29 deaths.

Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or some one else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving can be significant.

Overtime for this event is paid for by the Office of Traffic Safety, Department of Public Safety.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today appointed Robert Halstead as executive director of the Agency for Nuclear Projects, the agency responsible for oversight of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. He will start in the job Sept. 19.
Halstead will replace Joe Strolin, who has been serving as acting director since January.

By Sgt. Jim Halsey
Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies and Nevada Highway Patrol troopers will be stepping up traffic enforcement on major highways and state routes throughout the county. With the recent increase in fatal traffic accidents on major highways and state routes in and around Douglas County, Major Brian Sanchez of the Nevada Highway Patrol has allocated additional personnel and resources to the area in an effort to address the problem.

A fatal crash on Highway 395 at Airport Road in Douglas County remains under investigation by the Nevada Highway Patrol.
Here is the text of an NHP news release sent today:

By Jake Sunderland
CARSON CITY, Nev. – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Traffic Safety Facts report, during 2009, more than 5.5 million motor vehicle crashes were reported to police across the U.S. If you were in an accident, would you know what information to get for an insurance claim? The Nevada Division of insurance offers these easy to follow tips to get the necessary information following a crash.

Be Prepared

By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
Game wardens from the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) will participate in a national effort to reduce instances of boating under the influence. For the effort, dubbed Operation Dry Water, officers will be out in force June 24-26 looking for boat operators with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) exceeds the state limit of .08%.
Operation Dry Water will include increased patrols statewide, including at Lakes Mead and Mohave, South Fork Reservoir and Lake Tahoe.

Last week, Kevin Law of Carson City and I joined Gene (“Gino”) St. Denis of South Lake Tahoe, California for a morning of Mackinaw (Lake) Trout fishing at Lake Tahoe.

Gene is a longtime, good, personal friend and he is a premier sport fishing guide at South Lake Tahoe, known as Blue Ribbon Charters, 530-544-6552. He has fished Tahoe for some thirty years (the last twelve years as a fishing guide) and is one of the top, if not the top, guides at that lake.

By Steven R. Lasco
As many of you know, May is National Bike Month. Here in Carson City, several events and rides were held, capped by Bike To Work Week from May 16-20 and the celebration on the 20th outside the Firkin & Fox. As reported, about 150 people came by to visit, enjoy others’ bikes, and get a chance to win a raffle prize. The Nevada Legislature passed two bills in its current session that benefit cyclists (see sidebar below).

By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
Game wardens from the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) and other boating safety experts are reminding boaters about life jackets, safe boating classes and the danger of invasive species during National Safe Boating Week May 21-27, leading into Memorial Day weekend—the traditional kickoff to boating season in Northern Nevada.

By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
Boating safety officials, volunteers and members of the boating public will hold the second annual “Ready, Set, Inflate!” event at the Reno Cabela’s store Saturday at 10:30 a.m. as part of a nationwide effort to set a world record for the most life jackets inflated in one day.
Last year’s total was 1,154 participants.

More reported traffic accidents with injuries and higher cases of influenza were reported in March, according to Carson City's monthly operational scorecard.

By Andrew Doughman
CARSON CITY – It has been called the most lobbied bill during the legislative session, and it is has nothing to do with taxes.
All the fuss is about changes to the tow truck and auto salvage industry.