YOUR AD HERE »

Truckee man hurt after truck plunges 175 feet off freeway into river (updated)

Kevin MacMillan
kmacmillan@sierrasun.com
The truck was half submerged in water in the Truckee River Wednesday morning.
Courtesy CHP-Truckee |

TRUCKEE, Calif. — A local man was hospitalized Wednesday morning with serious injuries after his truck slid off the freeway near the Nevada-California state line and plunged 175 feet below into the Truckee River.

The crash occurred at about 7:30 a.m. when a man lost control of his gold Dodge Ram truck while traveling eastbound on Interstate 80 near Hirschdale, California Highway Patrol-Truckee Officer Jeff Billings said.

On Thursday the Sierra Sun identified the man as 67-year-old Edward Morrison, who lives in Truckee’s Glenshire subdivision.



“It’s all under investigation at this time … we don’t really know the cause,” Billings said Wednesday. “… just that he ended up off the roadway and into the river.”

Morrison, the vehicle’s lone occupant, was transported by ground ambulance to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Billings said.



CHP Officer Pete Mann later Wednesday said his injuries are considered “major.”

On Thursday, the Sun spoke with Morrison’s daughter, Season Morrison, who said Edward was getting onto the freeway at the Hirschdale on ramp to head to work in Reno when he “immediately lost control” likely due to icy conditions.

“He ended up on the cement side and was teetering there for couple seconds, he said, before tipping over engine first into the river,” Season said. “Somehow, (the truck) flipped because it ended up on his (wheels).”

“CHP measured the fall … it was 175 feet,” she added.

Season, who works as a nurse, said her father remains hospitalized in Reno in serious condition and is suffering from a fractured skull, bleeding in the brain, several broken ribs and a fractured scapula. He also started to develop pneumonia due to his injuries.

With head trauma, it’s tough to predict a prognosis, Season said, but “he’s doing better today.”

“It’s going to be a long recovery,” said Season, who added that her father has been a Truckee resident for 31 years.

The Hirschdale ramp is located about halfway between downtown Truckee and Floriston, a few miles from the Nevada state line.


Support Local Journalism

 

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.