CAR CRASH: CHP Officer Dies in a Two-Car Crash along Highway 101

February 16, 2011

Leggett – A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer died after losing control of his patrol car and colliding with a pickup Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

CHP Spokesman Paul Dahlen said that Officer Thomas Adams, 24, was driving his 2009 Ford Crown Victoria patrol car north on Highway 101 near Humboldt County border at about 2:30 pm when the accident happened.

He lost control of the car, causing it to spin and cross into four lanes of oncoming traffic. He then went into a slight right hand-curve and crashed the right side of the patrol car into the front of a 2004 Toyota Tundra heading north on the fast lane.

Adams was pronounced dead at the scene. The pickup’s driver, Jeff W. Kidd, 39, and his passenger Jared Geldhofbond, 31, were taken to Jerold Phelps Hospital in Garberville due to minor injuries. They were both late released, according to CHP.

Highway 101 was closed to give way for investigations. Preliminary findings show that Adams may have been at fault for the accident.