HWY 17 Incident, 8/17/04, 7pm

[gromit]

Has anyone heard anything about a motorcycle accident on HWY 17 last night?

Not wanting to rubber-neck with everyone else, I briefly noticed in the Northbound Lane, something involving several Harleys, automobiles and about a half dozen CHP.

[Frenchmillerlover]

Re: HWY 17 Incident, 8/17/04, 7pm

I drove past it on my way to Andrew's. Paramedics were running around, many fire fighter trucks, police cars.. The strange thing is that I could not see any damaged vehicle. Just people seating on the side their head in their hands. I took Old SJ road on the way back to avoid the traffic jam. It was North bound going uphill before the summit.

[lionel]

Re: HWY 17 Incident, 8/17/04, 7pm

I saw it too. Since it was right after a right hand turn uphill (North) I would guess that the bike went off the side of the mountain. I did not see anything except for cars, red lights and firemen. If the rider did go ove the side, that would not be the place to do it.

[pollux]

Re: HWY 17 Incident, 8/17/04, 7pm

I'm not sure if this is it or not. Right time, Right place, but no bikes involved.

From the Santa Cruz Sentinel originally located here:
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/arc...es/15local.htm

Highway 17 crash sends 5 to hospital

A Santa Cruz man was flown to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and four others were taken to Dominican Hospital after a car accident on Highway 17 sent two cars off the highway and 100 feet down into a redwood forest.

The 48-year-old Santa Cruz man whom police would not identify was driving southbound on Highway 17 in a green Toyota Camry at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday evening when four teenagers in a black BMW attempted to turn left from Glenwood Drive onto Highway 17 north and struck the Camry, said California Highway Patrol Officer Shane Pauly. Both cars spun off the road, 100 feet down and into the redwood trees, Pauly said.

The four teens in the BMW escaped the car and appear to be mostly unharmed, said Pauly, except one male teen who may have had a broken nose. Pauly would not say where the four teens were from but confirmed they were not from Santa Cruz County.

The Santa Cruz man drove off the road and landed upside-down off the freeway. He was trapped in his car, said American Medical Response’s Dan Quinto, trapped by his seat belt. But Pauly said they cut him out and he had no visible injuries.

Quinto said the man complained of pain on his right side. He was flown to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s trauma unit as a precaution.

[lugnut]

Re: HWY 17 Incident, 8/17/04, 7pm

Looked like people were staring over the embankment when I rode past about 6:30 or so. SB traffic was backed up to near the summit at that time due to rubbernecking.

[gromit]

Re: HWY 17 Incident, 8/17/04, 7pm

Sounds like the right story. I saw 2-3 Harleys pulled over to the side of the road, but there wasn't any sign of bike debris.
Perhaps a couple of bikers thought they'd just lend a hand on scene.

[GromsGirl]

Re: HWY 17 Incident, 8/17/04, 7pm

Or perhaps this is where they broke down! ;D