CHP has released the identity of the woman killed in a crash on highway 41 earlier this week, as well as details of the collision.
At about 6:55 am on Wednesday morning, Phill Peterson was towing a trailer on highway 41, when a large piece of equipment dislodged from the trailer into the southbound lane, according to CHP. 58-year-old Gemma Salting of Atascadero was driving a truck into the southbound lane; she collided with the piece of equipment, and lost control of her vehicle, going down an embankment before colliding with a tree. Salting sustained fatal injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Peterson continued traveling north until he could safely turn around and return to the scene, according to CHP.
Debris from the crash was scattered across the roadway, and emergency responders worked to extricate salting from the vehicle. The crash continues to be under investigation, and drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors.
