East Fork firefighters at the scene of a fatal collision along Highway 395 in south Gardnerville on March 6.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
A single vehicle collision claimed the life of an 85-year-old Gardnerville woman on March 6.
Joyce Chambers was a passenger in a 2021 Toyota Prius that ended up off the north side of Highway 395 near Service Drive, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.
The preliminary investigation indicates that the Prius was southbound on 395 when the man driving allowed it to cross the center and northbound lanes before driving onto the sidewalk and hitting a street sign and a tree. The Prius spun around and the passenger’s side hit a power pole, killing Chambers.
The driver was taken to Carson Valley Medical Center with nonlife threatening injuries.
The crash was the first fatality in Carson Valley and the sixth in Northern Nevada, according to State Police spokeswoman Kim Yoko Smith.
Northbound traffic was diverted down Grant Avenue and onto Carrick to get to Service Drive for more than three hours as the wreckage was cleared and investigated.
