Truck Driver Killed in Crash at Historic Ranger Station in Death Valley National Park

0
6K


DEATH VALLEY, Calif. — A truck driver was killed on Tuesday after a tractor-trailer crashed into a historic building in Death Valley National Park, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.

The single-vehicle crash occurred on CA-190, between Stovepipe Wells and Towne Pass, shutting down the main route through the park for nearly 22 hours. The road was reopened by 11:30 a.m. Wednesday following extensive cleanup.

According to officials, a brake malfunction is suspected to have caused the crash. CA-190’s steep grades — especially near Towne Pass — have been the site of multiple truck fires and mechanical failures in 2024. On April 9, an electrical contractor’s truck also burned after descending the same stretch. In total, six commercial trucks and one fifth-wheel RV have caught fire below Towne Pass this year.

In Tuesday’s crash, the truck plowed into the Emigrant Ranger Station, a historic stone structure built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The vehicle destroyed two stone porch columns, damaged the roof, and shattered windows. The building is famous for being the place where Stan Jones wrote “Ghost Riders in the Sky” while working as a park ranger in 1947. It has not been in active use for decades.

The truck was hauling material from a mine in the Searles Valley. A hazmat team worked overnight to clean up diesel fuel and scattered debris from the crash site.

No other injuries were reported. The identity of the deceased driver has not yet been released.


Sad
1
Search
Sponsored
Categories
Read More
Trucking News
I-76 bridge strike knocks load off semi truck
An interstate in Colorado was partially shut down on Monday afternoon after an I-76 bridge strike...
By MEGA MISTAKES 2024-03-20 14:37:55 0 8K
Trucking News
Video shows how driverless truck responds to a tire blowout or other major system failure
Autonomous truck tech company Kodiak Robotics, Inc. shared video to demonstrate how...
By MEGA MISTAKES 2022-05-13 23:28:12 0 10K
Trucking News
Truck Crashes Into Church Building in Southern Indiana
A tractor-trailer crashed into a church building in southern Indiana on Tuesday, causing major...
By Truck Drivers Life 2025-07-17 15:22:27 0 972
Trucking News
$7.6 million in cocaine seized from big rigs in Laredo, bringing four day total to $19 million
Just days after making the “largest cocaine bust in 20 years” in Laredo, officials...
By MEGA MISTAKES 2022-09-02 13:35:40 0 17K
Trucking News
Trucker dash cam captures robbery attempt that did not go as planned
In this dash cam clip, some would-be thieves attempt to rob a truck driver on a single lane...
By Truck Drivers Life 2022-02-03 01:20:38 0 11K
Truck Drivers Life | Social Network for Truck Drivers https://www.truckdrivers.life