A 51-year-old Marysville woman was killed Saturday evening after her companion drove around a roadblock, only to strike and sink in floodwater seven feet deep.
The tragedy occurred on State Route 70 near Olivehurst. Flooding caused by severe rain forced Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol to close the highway and State Route 65. Vehicles were being detoured off the highways with cones and flares.
According to the CHP, at about 7:15 p.m. 55-year-old Neng Yang of Sacramento evaded the roadblock and continued northbound. Yang was unable to see the flooding and struck the water at about 65 miles per hour. He managed to escape, but his companion did not. Yang was later arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter.
