Three people are dead and one seriously injured following a car crash and fire in El Dorado Hills Saturday night.
Three people are dead and one seriously injured following a car crash and fire in El Dorado Hills Saturday night.
California Highway Patrol officers responded to the scene on westbound Serrano Parkway near Terracina Drive around 10:40 p.m,. said Officer Andrew Brown, a spokesperson for the CHP’s Placerville office.
Upon arrival, the officers discovered a vehicle completely engulfed in flames.
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The car, a Tesla Model Y, had crashed into a tree north of the roadway’s edge, Brown said.
One passenger, a 30-year-old man from Sacramento, was ejected from the vehicle during the accident and died at the scene. The woman driving the car and another passenger, also a woman, were found dead within the vehicle after the fire was extinguished, said Brown.
A 28-year-old woman from Sacramento who was also a passenger was able to escape from the car with the help of passersby, he said. She was transported to a local hospital with major injuries.
Westbound Serrano Parkway was closed for on-scene investigation and cleanup for several hours. It reopened around 4:30 a.m.
Brown said that the Highway Patrol is the main investigator for the case. Officials are working to determine the cause of the crash.
Earlier reports that the fire was caused by damage to the Tesla’s lithium-ion battery may be incorrect, Brown said. He said that the cause of the fire is still unknown.
The Sacramento Bee
Haley Parsley is the acting Folsom and El Dorado Hills watchdog reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, where she was a fellow at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. While there, she reported on immigration policy in the state. She has previously reported in Oklahoma City.