Woman suffers no serious injuries in crash with Concrete Pump January 15, 2008

By GREG WELTER - Staff Writer Article Launched: 01/15/2008

A Chico woman escaped with minor injuries Monday morning after witnesses said she ran a red light at West Eighth and Main streets and was hit broadside by a 78,000-pound concrete pumping truck. The woman, driving a white Kia sedan, was identified as Nina Pierson, 57, of Chico. Police said she lost some teeth in the collision and was complaining of pain, but suffered no serious injuries.

She was transported to Enloe Medical Center for treatment.

Pierson was reportedly wearing a seat belt, and air bags deployed on impact. She had to be extricated from the car by Chico Fire Department crews.

Investigators said the woman was driving west on Eighth, when she allegedly ran the red light. The truck, on its way to a job site at Enloe, was traveling north on Main.

The impact pushed the Kia about 20 feet, causing one of its wheels to cut a gouge in the asphalt. The driver's side of the vehicle was crushed about halfway into the passenger compartment.

The concrete truck sustained only minor damage, but had to be towed from the scene. Driver Jerry Henderson, 42, of Chico, was unhurt.

The crash briefly closed Eighth at Wall Street, and Main at East Eighth.

Inside Pullins Cyclery, just a few feet from the accident, owner Steve O'Bryan said he heard the crash, but didn't see it.

He said the corner has had some bad accidents in the past, but not really a lot of crashes considering the high volume of traffic.

"I heard somebody may have run the red light," he said. "We see a lot of people run what I call burnt orange lights here." O'Bryan observed that drivers seemed to do better when signal lights were recently knocked out in the downtown area, and all intersections had to be treated as a four-