Man working to help restore power after storm killed in Mendocino County crash

A contracted worker headed to help Pacific Gas and Electric Co. with power restoration efforts in Mendocino County following recent North Bay storms was killed and a second suffered critical injuries this weekend in a traffic crash, according to authorities.

Authorities are investigating whether the weather contributed to the crash.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched about 7:50 a.m. Saturday after receiving a report of a fatal rollover in the 4100 block of Mountain View Road in Manchester, according to Capt. Gregory Van Patten, the Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.

When deputies arrived, emergency personnel were cutting two people from a utility service truck that had gone off the roadway, he said.

The driver Edgar Castillo, 37, of Elk Grove was pronounced dead at the scene, Van Patten added.

His passenger suffered critical injuries and was transported to a hospital on the coast before being taken to another Sonoma County hospital. The passenger’s condition was not immediately available Sunday, Van Patten said.

The cause of the crash is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol, though Van Patten said Mendocino County has received a lot of rain and wind in recent days, which could have contributed to the crash.

Castillo and the passenger were working for Mountain F Enterprises, a company contracted by PG&E to help with the utility’s storm response.

The pair was headed to Point Arena to perform vegetation management work when Castillo lost control of the vehicle and rolled over off the roadway, said PG&E spokesperson Denny Boyles.

“This safety incident underscores the hazardous conditions under which our co-workers, contract and mutual aid partners are working as part of our storm response,” Boyles said in an email. “We are assisting both local authorities and the MFE team with their investigation into this tragic incident.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for Castillo’s funeral expenses.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @madi.smals.

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