REDDING – Police have now identified a man involved in a fatal collision, and made sure he received medical treatment for his injuries after he had fled the scene.
The incident began on Sunday night at approximately 11:24 pm. Police responded to a report of a two vehicle accident on Churn Creek Road, just north of Bodenhamer Blvd. According to officer Gary Meadows of the Redding Police, emergency responders found that it was a fatal collision, and traffic accident investigators were called to the scene.
The investigation determined that 30-year-old Redding man Ruben Calderon, driving a 1996 Chevy Tahoe north on Churn Creek, lost control and collided with another car traveling the same direction. (Action News Now has reported the other car was actually traveling southbound, making it a head-on collision.) The Tahoe crashed into a 1996 Volvo sedan. Calderon was found dead at the scene as a result, and investigators believed that alcohol was a factor in the accident, presumably by Calderon.
The driver of the Volvo appeared to have also suffered injuries, but was able to leave his car, and according to witnesses, was picked up by someone in a dark colored SUV almost immediately after the collision, leaving behind the damaged Volvo and some of his own blood. In the dark, witnesses could only provide a single detail of the SUV that took the injured man away, which was an SF sticker in the back window, presumably for the San Francisco 49ers or Giants.
However, leaving a wrecked car at the scene of an accident makes it fairly easy to be identified, and the next day Redding Police contacted 24-year-old Lester Stanley Folsom at his home in Redding. His multiple injuries were evident, and he was transported to the Shasta Regional Medical Center for treatment. Folsom’s motivation for fleeing the accident scene was clear, in that he had had his license revoked and is on probation for a past DUI conviction. In his interview with the officers, he admitted to being in the accident, and to leaving the scene, however he did not volunteer who had taken him away. It was also not immediately apparent whether Folsom himself was driving under the influence at the time. Officers decided not to arrest him at the time due to his ongoing medical treatment for the injuries he sustained in the crash.
The investigation is ongoing, according to police, and Folsom may face charges related to driving with a suspended licence, fleeing the scene of an accident, and parole violations. The SUV driver is also being sought, and could potentially face charges of obstruction or aiding and abetting. Anyone with any information to help the investigation is encouraged to call Redding police at 530-225-4200, or anonymously at 530-243-2319 or Secret Witness of Shasta County.
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Action News Now: Late night accident in Redding leaves one man dead
