A California Highway Patrol officer was injured and a firefighter was killed after they were struck on a hail-slicken highway Wednesday morning.
A vehicle that veered out of control struck the officer, a Cottonwood firefighter and a motorist involved in an earlier collision, according to The Anderson Valley Post.
All three were taken to Mercy Medical Hospital. The unidentified Cottonwood Fire Protection District firefighter died about 7:30 a.m. of the injuries. The names have not been released.
The crash occurred on I-5 between 5:30 and 6 a.m. after a hail storm left the road covered, the paper reported.
The vehicle that struck the three people careened between the CHP cruiser and the fire truck as the driver lost control after trying to avoid a collision, police told reporters.
The investigation is continuing.
