MENDOCINO Co., 4/16/18 — Tragedy has dominated the roads of northern Mendocino County this month, with the loss of two families in car wrecks. Yesterday, two search and rescue personnel from Shasta County, on assignment presumably to aid in the search for the bodies of the Thottapilly family, suffered major injuries when their vehicle crashed into the guardrail in the southbound lane of the 101, south of Leggett.
The driver Clayton Chaney, 36, of Redding, and the passenger, Robert Talbott, 49, of Corning, had to be extricated from Chaney’s 1999 Toyota Tacoma. Both sustained major injuries and were transported to Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits.
No word on the current status of the two men.
Here is the press release from the California Highway Patrol:
On 04/15/2018, at approximately 1847 hours, Clayton Chaney, of Redding, CA was driving his 1999 Toyota Tacoma pickup southbound on US-101 south of Leggett, CA at an unknown rate of speed. For unknown reasons, Chaney allowed his Toyota to leave the west road edge of US-101 and travel onto the dirt/grass embankment. Chaney attempted to correct the path of the Toyota, however, the Toyota began to slide in a counter clockwise manner. The passenger side of the Toyota impacted a guardrail and the Toyota rolled over onto it’s top. Both Chaney and his passenger, Robert Talbott, of Corning, CA had to be extricated by fire personnel. Both were transported to Howard Memorial Hospital with major injuries. Both Chaney and Talbott are members of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team and were in the area on assignment. Alcohol and/or drugs do not appear to be factor in this collision. The California Highway Patrol is investigating this collision.
