New Details Released On New Priest Grade Crash
Tuolumne County, CA — New details regarding Monday’s crash that stalled traffic on New Priest Grade/Highway 120 for more than three hours.
The CHP reports that 43-year-old Lloyd Smith of San Jose was heading eastbound on New Priest Grade near Grizzly Road driving a 2006 Toyota Tacoma truck when for an unknown reason veered to the right shoulder. The pickup went off the roadway down a steep embankment and rolled over several times. It came to rest at the bottom of the embankment about 300 feet from the highway.
Smith suffered major injuries and was taken by ambulance to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto. Drugs or alcohol were not a factor in the wreck, according to the CHP.
The crash happened around 9 a.m. near the midway point of the grade. Traffic was backed up as emergency crews worked to clear the debris on the roadway. Officers conducted one-way traffic control until around 12:30 p.m. when the grade was completely reopened.
