Big-Rig Driver Dies in Highway 37 Crash

By Bay City News Service

A big-rig driver was killed in a fiery crash that has shut down westbound state Highway 37 in Vallejo on Thursday morning, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

A collision between an Ace Hardware big-rig and a white pickup truck was reported at about 6:40 a.m. on westbound Highway 37 just east of Highway 29, CHP Officer Chris Parker said.

The collision caused the big-rig to fall from the overpass, Parker said. It landed in a grassy area below and caught fire.

Westbound 37 was closed until about 10 a.m. The connector from northbound Highway 29 to westbound 37 remained closed as of 10:15 a.m.

Parker said two witnesses who were driving north on Highway 29 saw sparks coming from the big-rig before it fell from Highway 37. The two, along with an off-duty paramedic, ran to the big-rig as it burned and pulled the driver out of the cabin, Parker said.

The driver was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, Parker said.

The pickup truck's driver refused medical attention, the officer said.

Hazardous materials were in the big-rig's trailer, and a Solano County haz-mat team has responded to the crash site, Parker said.

The crash tied up traffic in a widespread area around the North Bay as Highway 37 was closed. The collision remains under investigation, he said.

Click here to see raw video and a report from KTVU Channel 2.

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