Injured Tow Truck Driver on State Route 79 Identified as Enrique Ramirez Sanchez

An accident on Sunday, February 23, occurred along State Route 79 involving a tow truck driver and another vehicle.

The accident occurred around 10:38 a.m. when 49-year-old Enrique Ramirez Sanchez was working to tow another vehicle. He was along State Route 79 just south of California Avenue. The car he was working to tow was involved in an accident earlier in the morning.

The accident was a single-vehicle rollover accident and the driver in that accident was uninjured.

While Sanchez was working on the right shoulder of the road, 29-year-old Marcella Carranza was driving too fast down State Route 79. Due to her excessive speed, she lost control of her white Toyota Corolla.

Because she had no control over where her vehicle was going, reports indicate that she hit the concrete median and the force of the impact projected her across the road. This put her in the right shoulder where Sanchez was working to secure the rolled over car.

The Toyota hit Sanchez on the left side.

Due to the severity of his injuries, Sanchez was transported by emergency services to Riverside University Health System Medical Center. No updates have been released regarding the nature or severity of his injuries.

Sanchez works for Statewide Towing. On a forum, members that are also tow truck drivers expressed their thoughts and wishes for Sanchez’s recovery. They are also hoping that the accident will shed some light on how dangerous their job really is.

Police have ruled out drugs and alcohol as contributing factors in the accident. They believe that the speed of Carranza’s car played a crucial role.

The southbound lanes of State Route 79 were closed for approximately two hours for reconstruction crews. Once they were completed, the scene was cleared, and the road was returned to full functionality.

There has been no mention of charges or citations for Carranza. The California Highway Patrol is still investigating the accident.