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CHP: Tow Truck Scraped Big Rig Before Plummeting Off Pioneer Bridge In 2019

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — New information was released Tuesday about a crash that sent a tow truck plummeting off Highway 50 nearly a year ago. 

The CHP says the driver failed to merge and struck a big rig. CHP investigators say the tow truck's front wheel scraped the back wheel of the big rig as they were crossing over the Pioneer Bridge last March.

The tow truck then slammed into the guard rail and went off the bridge into the water, sinking 30 feet to the bottom of the river. Shalvinesh Sharma and his wife Roselyn, owners of Justin's Towing, were killed in the crash. The couple left behind two children.

Investigators did not say which spouse was driving at the time of the crash.

Two weeks after the crash, Shalvinesh's body was found in the river near Garcia Bend Park. Days after his body was found, crews found Roselyn's body from the truck at the bottom of the river. The strong Sacramento River current and murky conditions delayed rescue efforts, requiring a specialized dive team from Vallejo to take point on the recovery.

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