71-year-old driver suffers minor injuries, after his car and CHP pickup, with sirens activated, collide at a I-505 off ramp near Esparto.

A CHP pickup truck with emergency lights and siren activated collided with a car Wednesday at an off-ramp between Esparto and Woodland, causing minor injuries. At about 10 a.m. Wednesday the officer in the black and white CHP pickup with camper shell was heading eastbound on Highway 16 approaching the Interstate 505 over crossing. A CHP press release said that the officer was traveling “Code 3” with lights and siren activated in response to a call of an officer down needing assistance in the Woodland area. The release did not say any more about the officer-down call. Eastbound traffic had yielded and moved slightly to the right to allow the officer to pass. At the same time, a 71-year-old Rio Vista man in a Toyota Corolla was stopped at a red light on the northbound I-505 off ramp waiting to make a left turn onto westbound Highway 16. The driver later told the CHP that he heard the siren but did not know the location of the emergency vehicle. When the light turned green, the citizen drove into the intersection. As he entered the intersection, the man indicated that that he saw the patrol vehicle with lights activated and siren sounding so he came to a stop. The officer drove into the intersection, believing that it was clear and all drivers had yielded. At that point, the driver suddenly drove further into the intersection in front of the officer’s vehicle, according to the press release. The officer took evasive action, but was unable to maneuver around the Corolla. A collision occurred and the CHP patrol vehicle came to rest against a signal light pole. No injury was reported to the officer. The driver of the car suffered what were described as minor injuries.   How can a lawyer help with an auto accident claim? First, having a lawyer on your side levels the playing field.  The person who caused the accident is required to immediately turn the case over to his or her insurance company.  The insurance company uses adjusters and lawyers who are specifically trained to deny or reduce your claim.  This may include denying compensation to family members who are entitled to receive benefits for loss of companionship. Learn more here about what a lawyer does in auto accident cases.