Tough 24 Hours For Lamorinda Drivers

In a grim tally of weekend road casualties a San Francisco man died early Sunday on Highway 24 and two teenagers were injured – one seriously – in a crash hours later on Bear Creek Road.

Another motorist was injured Monday morning when their car left Loma Vista Drive in Orinda and collided with a tree. That driver had to be cut from the wreckage and is currently being treated at John Muir Hospital.

CHP investigators said Andrew E.D. Tanner of San Francisco was killed when he was ejected from his car while traveling east on Highway 24 early Sunday, his Lexus tearing through a guardrail and barriers, going airborne, and landing on the ejected driver.

Tanner was pronounced dead at the scene.

Later in the evening two teens driving at “a high rate of speed” on Bear Creek Road south of Happy Valley Road in Lafayette failed to negotiate a turn and crashed into a tree at 8:51 p.m.

The 18-year-old girl at the wheel at the time of the crash suffered minor injuries while her passenger, a 17-year-old boy, was severely injured in the crash.

Both were taken to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek for treatment, according to the CHP.

The trend continued Monday morning after a driver lost control of their car and crashed into a tree at 32 Loma Vista Dr. in Orinda, suffering serious injuries and requiring that she be cut from the wreckage. The accident was reported at 7:03 a.m.

The extent of that driver’s injuries and her condition were not given.

Two hours later, a CHP Officer assigned to the San Jose Area sustained moderate injuries as a result of a traffic collision on northbound I-680, near El Cerro Boulevard.

All lanes were blocked for approximately one hour and a Sigalert was issued as crews worked to clear the roadway and CHP sought to investigate this incident. It was eventually determined that the collision was caused when the front tire of the officer’s motorcycle struck a wheel assembly on the freeway and he was ejected from his bike.

A Semi and a Toyota Camry also became involved in subsequent collisions with the tire assembly. If anyone witnessed how the wheel assembly ended up in the traffic lanes at this location they are asked to contact CHP – Contra Costa at 925.978.3918.