State highway closed for three hours after logging truck crash

Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2000 | 9:19 a.m.

The driver of the jeep, Michael Althouse, 37, Truckee, suffered serious injuries and was transported by helicopter to Washoe Medical Center in Reno, where he was reported in critical condition Tuesday night.

A passenger in his jeep, Timothy Althouse, 13, Truckee, and the driver of the logging truck, Michael Maddox, 57, Oroville, Calif., suffered minor injuries and were hospitalized in Truckee, the California Highway Patrol said.

The highway was closed in both directions for about three hours while logs were removed from the road and officers investigated the wreck south of Truckee, the patrol said.

Althouse was driving southbound on State Route 89 when he allowed his jeep to drift into the oncoming lane of traffic, the patrol said. Maddox tried to swerve to miss the jeep but struck the front bumper.

A preliminary investigation indicates that neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the crash, the patrol said.

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