Tragedy at Eighth and Main
A deadly crash occurred on the afternoon of Sunday, September 26, 2021, at a downtown Chico intersection.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. at the intersection of Eighth Street and Main Street, a sedan driver crashed into a motorcyclist. The motorcycle rider suffered fatal injuries. The deceased rider was later identified as 26-year old Hunter Dixon of Chico.
Downtown Chico Scene Response
Officials from the Chico Police Department (CPD) and the Chico Fire Department (CFD) responded to the scene of the incident at approximately 3:43 p.m. According to a CPD Sergeant, prior to the crash, the motorcycle had been heading north and the sedan had been traveling west. Later reports indicate that witnesses saw the sedan driver, an 18-year-old male from Chico, run a red light at the intersection and crash into the motorcycle. The sedan continued on following the impact with the motorcycle, to crash into an unoccupied storage building located on Eighth Street. A section of the building was destroyed. Both the driver of the sedan and his passenger survived with injuries described as minor.
First responders attended to the severely injured motorcyclist. He was transported from the scene with critical injuries and was later pronounced dead at Enloe Medical Center.
Investigation Into the Deadly Crash
As mentioned above, there were witnesses to the terrible event that reported that the sedan driver had run a red light at the intersection. There were also a number of security cameras in the vicinity that captured footage of the crash. Police officers obtained the video footage and found that the images matched what the witnesses had reported.
The Aftermath of the Downtown Chico Tragedy
The 18-year old driver of the sedan received medical treatment and was released from the hospital. He was arrested and booked at the Butte County Jail. He faces charges of vehicular manslaughter.
The roads in the area of the incident were closed for more than six hours – from Main Street to Broadway in downtown Chico. The sedan destroyed two support beams in the unoccupied building it crashed into.
Young Drivers and Fatal Accidents
This is the kind of story that strikes terror in the hearts of parents of young people, particularly young men. We do not say this to single out any particular group arbitrarily. Statistics show that male teen drivers are most at risk for being involved in fatal automobile accidents.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the risk of motor vehicle collisions is higher for teen drivers aged 16–19 than for any other age group. Per mile driven, drivers within that age group are close to three times as likely to be in a fatal collision as drivers aged 20 years or older. Further, males are at an even higher risk. In 2019, the motor vehicle fatality rate for male motorists aged 16–19 was more than twice as high as for female drivers in the same age range.
Watch the YouTube Video. The clip below from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports on the “High-Risk Years.”
Chico Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Hello, and thank you for reading our report on this downtown Chico tragedy. My name is Ed Smith, and I am a Chico motorcycle accident attorney. My law firm has been helping injured Chico residents for nearly four decades. We also handle wrongful death matters with skill and compassion. Fatal car accidents can devastate the family left behind. Handling insurance and legal matters while at the same time managing intense grief can be overwhelming. To receive free and friendly legal advice, call our experienced injury lawyers at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400.
Please take a moment to look at our settlements and verdicts and visit the sites below to read our client reviews:
Photo: by Arcaion on Pixabay
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