Click It or Ticket

Big Bear, Ca, November 22, 2011, 3:00pm - The California Highway Patrol is participating in the Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign now through November 27^th.  During this time, law enforcement throughout the state and the Big Bear Valley will be actively looking for drivers and passengers who are unbuckled.  The Click It or Ticket program, which started in 2005, has a successful track record, and has seen an increased usage in seatbelts from a 90.4% in 2001, to a record high of 96.02 % in 2010.  The increase represents more than 1.25 million more vehicle occupants who buckle up.  Buckling your seatbelt is important for the safety of you and other passengers in your vehicle.  According to the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, in 2009 there were 544 vehicle passengers killed who were not wearing a seat belt of using a child safety seat, and more than 9,400 others were injured due to not buckling up.  Last year CHP officers issued more than 155,000 citations to drivers and passengers who failed to buckle up.  The minimum cost of an adult seat belt violation is $142, and can go up to $445 for not properly restraining a child under 16 years of age.  So do the smart thing, avoid unnecessary tickets, and buckle up.

Highway 330 Temporarily Closed Due to Auto Accident

Big Bear, Ca, October 4, 2011, 12:00pm - Highway 330 is currently closed due to an accident involving a Sisco food truck, and a Ford Edge earlier today.  According to the California Highway Patrol approximately 40-60 gallons of fuel was spilled onto the roadway, and is currently being cleaned up.  One of the people involved in the accident has been airlifted at this time, and another was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.  CHP told KBHR that the road may remain closed for the next few hours.  Utilize Highway 18 through the Crestline area as an alternative.

Highway 38 Closure Update

Angelus Oaks, CA, September 25, 2011, 7:00am - State Route 38 remains closed from Angelus Oaks to Jenks Lake Road West in the San Bernardino Mountains as a result of the traffic collision involving a fuel truck that released approximately 6,000 gallons of gasoline along the south shoulder of the highway. The contaminated material has been removed from the area under the highway and the turnout.  However, testing continues for the remainder of the dirt area impacted by the spill. Cal Trans initiated a Director’s Order on September 23, 2011, and Matich Construction arrived early Saturday and started performing the backfill and paving operations within the roadway prism. Cal Trans/Matich is using dirt stockpiled on SR-330 for the backfill.  This will help expedite the process. It is expected the repair work can be completed in a few days.  The CHP has requested permission for the repopulation of Camp Cedar Falls as soon as possible.  However, permission of the Santa Ana Water Resource Board and San Bernardino Environmental Health is pending. Updated information on the reopening of SR 38 will be provided as soon as it is available.

Overturned Oil Tanker Closes Highway 38

Big Bear, Ca, September 20, 2011, 8:30am - On September 19, at approximately 10:20 p.m., a fuel tanker filled with approximately 9000 gallons of gasoline overturned on Highway 38 approximately two miles east of Angelus Oaks.  According to Cal Trans and the California Highway Patrol approximately 8,300 gallons of fuel has spilled into the surrounding area and Highway 38 is closed due to the Hazardous Material Incident.  According to the CHP the fuel tanker was traveling eastbound on HWY 38 towards the Big Bear Area, and for reasons still under investigation, the truck and trailer overturned onto its right side.   The collision ruptured the trailer causing fuel to spill into the surrounding area.  The Cedar Falls campground has been evacuated due to the fuel spill.  Highway 38 is closed to all traffic from Lake Williams Road to Angelus Oaks.  Motorists needing to access or leave the Big Bear Area should use Highway 18, the front or back grade.  The fuel spill has been contained and has not accessed any streams or lakes.  The San Bernardino County Fire Department and CalTrans Hazmat crews are on scene overseeing the clean up that will involve digging up and replacing the turnout and possibly a section of the roadbed where the incident took place.  The duration of the closure is undetermined at this time.

Big Bear Sheriff’s Station and CHP Had a Busy Weekend

Big Bear, Ca, September 19, 2011, 4:00pm - The California Highway Patrol, and the Big Bear Lake Sheriffs Department were both very busy this past weekend in Big Bear.  On Sunday a Hell’s Angels event was held at Chad’s Place in the village, bringing motorcycle clubs up to Big Bear from across California.  According to a representative from the Big Bear Sheriffs Department not all of the motorcycle clubs or outlaw gangs get along.  While there were no major incidents coinciding with the event, the sheriffs department deployed 12 two-man cars to patrol the area and valley as a whole.  The Sheriffs Department gave out 32 moving citations or tickets this weekend along with six parking citations, six vehicles were towed, and five people were arrested, three for DUI’s, one for being drunk in public, and one for being under the influence of a controlled substance.  A majority of these citations were for motorcyclists.  For the California Highway Patrol, two different grants were utilized this past weekend, one for the “Arrive Alive, Don’t Drink and Drive” campaign, and the other for their motorcycle safety campaign.   The CHP had officers out in force on Highway 330, Highway 18, Highway 38, and the back grade.  CHP gave 12 seatbelt tickets, two tickets for unlicensed of suspended drivers, nine for expired registration, six for crossing the double yellow lines, one for passing on the shoulder, six tickets for speeding, four for failing to stop at a stop sign, one cell phone ticket, four warrant arrests, three DUI arrests, and 10 other tickets for mechanical violations such as having a broken tail light or missing license plate.   According to Sergeant Sal Suarez only four of the tickets or arrests made by the California Highway Patrol were for motorcycles, and the rest were for vehicle motorists.  Sergeant Suarez also told KBHR that the CHP and the Big Bear Sheriffs Station have historically worked very well together, and this weekend proved that.

UPDATE: Motorcycle Fatality Identified as Cheryl Hightower

Big Bear, CA, August 31, 2011, 7:00pm - The victim of this morning’s fatal motorcycle accident at Greenway and North Shore Drive in Big Bear City has been identified as Cheryl Hightower, 65, of Hesperia.  Ms. Hightower had been a long time employee of the Snow Summit Corporation and was phasing out her employment for retirement.  Additionally, the driver of the Jeep Cherokee, who was also involved in the accident, has been identified as Walter Campbell, 60, of Big Bear City.  Mr. Campbell was uninjured.  According to CHP, Ms. Hightower was riding on a Harley Davidson motorcycle traveling westbound on North Shore Drive when she was struck by Mr. Campbell’s Jeep Cherokee traveling northbound on Greenway impacting the left side of the motorcycle and ejecting it’s rider.  She was pronounced deceased at the scene by Big Bear City Fire personnel at approximately 7:45am.  The accident caused the intersection at Greenway and North Shore Drive to be closed for 2 to 3 hours with a detour set in place for traffic to avoid the scene of the collision.  The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

UPDATE: Fatal Motorcycle Accident

Big Bear, Ca, August 31, 2011, 3:44pm -  Although the identity of the victim from this morning’s motorcycle and vehicle accident has still not been released by the San Bernardino Coroner’s office, more information is available as to the events that lead to that fatal accident.  According to CHP, a female rider on a Harley Davidson motorcycle was traveling westbound on North Shore Drive at an unknown speed.  It is uncertain as to whether she was attempting to turn left onto Greenway or continue going straight on North Shore when she was struck by a Jeep Cherokee traveling northbound on Greenway impacting the left side of the motorcycle and ejecting it’s rider.  The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene by Big Bear City Fire personnel at approximately 7:45am.  The accident caused the intersection at Greenway and North Shore Drive to be closed for 2 to 3 hours with a detour set in place for traffic to avoid the scene of the collision.  The identity of the victim and driver of the Jeep Cherokee is unknown, however, it has been confirmed that the female victim is a mountain resident.   When more information is released we will announce that information as well as post it to our website at bigbearnews.com.

CHP To Conduct Sobriety Checkpoint

Big Bear Valley, CA, July 29, 2011, 8:00am – The Arrowhead office of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBCSD) will be conducting a joint-agency sobriety checkpoint from 6:00 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, July 30, 2011, within the unincorporated mountain area of San Bernardino County. The CHP’s goal is to ensure the safe passage of each and every motorist.  A sobriety checkpoint is a proven effective tool for achieving this, and is designated to augment existing patrol operations. The CHP continues its efforts to reduce DUI related collisions through the Arrive Alive Campaign.  During the Arrive Alive Campaign checkpoint conducted on Big , within Big Bear City, 273 vehicles were screened, 20 drivers were administered field sobriety tests, and two impaired drivers were arrested.  There was also a drug related arrest.  Drivers who are under the influence can expect to be arrested.  The CHP’s objective is to send a clear message to those considering mixing alcohol and/or drugs with driving. 

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Restrictions On State Route 18

Big Bear, CA, July 11, 2011, 8:00am - Roadwork will continue this week on the back side of State Route 18 between Big Bear and Lucerne Valley. Caltrans will be restricting access to larger trucks for safety reasons due to the current asphalt project and the width of the road in several locations. California Highway Patrol units will be stationed at the top of SR18 near Big Bear and at the bottom of SR18 in Lucerne Valley. CHP will be turning larger vehicles around this Wednesday, Thursday & Friday between 9am and 6pm.

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CHP To Conduct Sobriety Checkpoint On June 25th

Big Bear, Ca, June 23, 2011, 12:00pm - In an effort to ensure the safe passage for each and every motorist the Arrowhead office of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint this Saturday, June 25, within the unincorporated mountain area of San Bernardino County.  The sobriety checkpoint will be operated from 9:00pm to 3:00am, at an unknown location at this time.  In the past, sobriety checkpoints conducted by the mountain areas CHP have resulted in the arrests of impaired drivers, and in discouraging drinking and driving. According to the CHP, the sobriety checkpoint is a continuation of the CHP’s efforts to reduce DUI related collisions through the “Arrive Alive Campaign.”

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