ALPINE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is reporting a fatal crash in the unincorporated area of Alpine County near the Carson River Resort. At 3:25 a.m. Friday, CHP was called after a Caltrans employee working on SR89 found the body of a 28-year-old man in a ditch.
The Caltrans employee was on the highway checking for rockslides when they observed a beer can in the roadway and what he thought was a blood spot. He turned his vehicle around to check out the area and saw the male.
While CHP was en route, the Alpine County Fire Department and the Alpine County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene. They pronounced the male deceased.
The two county agencies also found a green Honda quad over the embankment.
Once CHP was on the scene, they found physical evidence that supports the deceased was riding the quad southbound on SR-89 and made an unsafe turning movement. This caused the rider to be ejected from the quad and land on the roadway surface. The quad continued southwesterly over a dirt embankment and approximately 500 feet down a hill landing on the Carson Riverbank.
No helmet was located at the scene and physical evidence indicates no helmet was being worn at the time of the crash. There was no evidence the party was struck by another vehicle causing the crash or after the crash, and there were no witnesses.
Alcohol is suspected as a contributing factor in this crash, according to CHP.
The name of the deceased has not been released.