UPDATE: 10/21/21 — The decedent in Monday night’s crash has been identified by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office as 18-year-old Giovanni Artenio Leon. The Mendocino Voice extends our condolences to Leon’s family and friends.
MENDOCINO Co., 10/19/21 — A solo wreck turned fatal late Monday night when a northbound 2017 Jeep Cherokee struck a tree in Redwood Valley, catching fire and trapping the driver inside. The crash was reported just after 11 p.m. on West Road north of Zahadoom Way, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). A passerby stopped and was able to help a passenger out of the vehicle, and tried to help the driver, too, but ultimately that individual was pushed away by the growing flames until firefighters arrived.
The survivor, identified only as a 21-year-old man from Covelo, suffered major injuries including a possible broken femur. The driver has been identified, but authorities are withholding his name pending notification of his family. You can read the CHP’s report on the crash below:
MX-5070N_20211019_075916