One dead in Newcastle I-80 crash

NEWCASTLE - One man is dead after a flatbed truck at the side of Interstate 80 at Newcastle was hit from behind by a big rig traveling in the slow lane.The crash took place just before 3 p.m. on the eastbound turn between the Newcastle and Union Pacific overpasses.Jay Love, a Newcastle resident who witnessed the accident, said the tow truck was parked at the side of the freeway.Love said the flatbed, which appeared to be a towtruck, was partly over the side white line into the traffic lane and the big rig driver was unable to adjust direction in time to stop the crash.Early reports were that the flatbed truck driver and lone occupant was ejected from the vehicle. He died at the scene.The tractor-trailer, which had "GNR Logistics Brampton, Ontario" printed on the side doors, carried the flatbed about 50 feet before coming to a stop.A 40-foot stretch of steep hillside on the side of the road had its top layer of grass and weeds stripped off as the flatbed truck was carried along, scraping the earth, by the bigger truck.About 20 feet of steel guardrail was also taken out as the truck slowed and stopped.California Highway Patrol investigators, dispatched from the Newcastle office about a quarter mile away, were busy interviewing the driver and will provide a report later on the victim's identification and circumstances surrounding the crash.No information was immediately available about the flatbed driver except that the truck had a Chico address printed on the side.The Journal's Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.