One person was killed and three others, including two children, were seriously injured Tuesday afternoon after an SUV went off Highway 50 in El Dorado County and plunged about 100 feet into the South Fork of the American River, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash was reported shortly after 4 p.m. on eastbound Highway 50 near Ice House Road, a stretch of mountain highway west of South Lake Tahoe. The vehicle, a 2024 Hyundai SUV, left the roadway and landed near the river shoreline, according to the CHP’s Placerville office.
The front-seat passenger died at the scene, CHP said. The driver and two children who were riding in the back seat were taken to Marshall Medical Center with suspected major injuries.
Authorities did not immediately say whether the passenger who died was an adult or a child. That person’s name had not been released as of Tuesday evening.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation. Rain was reported in parts of the Sierra foothills and Northern Sierra on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service, but authorities had not said if weather or road conditions contributed to the crash.
Caltrans placed one-way traffic control on Highway 50 near Riverton and Ice House Road after the crash. The CHP expected the traffic control to remain in place for several hours.