Lumber hanging off passing truck hits and kills two bicyclists, California cops say

UPDATE: The Napa County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday, Oct. 18, identified the two bicyclists killed as Christian Deaton, 52, and Michelle Deaton, 48, of Portland, Oregon, according to the Napa Valley Register. The couple was visiting Napa.

The original story is below.

A load of lumber on a flatbed truck shifted, striking and killing two bicyclists, California Highway Patrol officers told news outlets.

The fatal collision took place on Silverado Trail in Napa County at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, officers told KRON.

The road was closed following the crash, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office reported on X, formerly Twitter.

“It appeared the load shifted and collided with the bicyclists traveling in the same direction on the roadway,” CHP Napa spokesman Officer Vincent Pompliano told KPIX.

A man in his 50s died at the scene, and a woman in her 40s later died at a hospital, officers told Bay City News. The 55-year-old driver of the flatbed truck was not hurt and stayed at the scene.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Napa County is about 70 miles northeast of San Francisco.

This story was originally published October 18, 2023 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Lumber hanging off passing truck hits and kills two bicyclists, California cops say."