Tuolumne County Deputy Dies in Crash

By Bill Johnson Published May 31, 2004 02:10 pm Updated Jan 31, 2009 04:29 pm

A Tuolumne County Sheriff´s deputy was killed in a patrol car accident this morning as he responded to a plane crash in Columbia.

Officials say the deputy died from injuries sustained when he some how lost control of his patrol car on Highway 49 near Parrots Ferry Road around 11 this morning. The deputy´s name is being withheld until his family is notified.

Details are still sketchy this afternoon. The deputy was rolling Code 3 with lights and sirens to the scene of a fiery private plane crash near the Columbia Airport. His patrol car ran off the roadway and hit a tree, trapping the deputy inside.

Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to free the deputy from the wreckage. He was taken to the airport and flown to Sonora Regional Medical Center. He later died from his injuries.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.

Fellow law enforcement officials are mourning the loss today. The deputy was a long-time member of the Tuolumne County Sheriff´s Department and well-known throughout the community.