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Semi Driver Killed In Crash At Death Valley National Park

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Published Date

May 23, 2025
The historic former ranger station at Emigrant Junction. Two stone columns were destroyed, the porch roof was damaged, and windows were broken. NPS

The historic former ranger station at Emigrant Junction. Two stone columns were destroyed, the porch roof was damaged, and windows were broken/NPS

A semi-truck driver was killed when his rig, which apparently lost its brakes, crashed into a historic ranger station in Death Valley National Park.

The trucker, who was not identified, was coming down California 190 when the rig crashed into the Emigrant Ranger Station on Tuesday afternoon, according to a park release.

The stone structure was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Stan Jones wrote the song “Ghost Riders in the Sky” while living in this building and working as a park ranger in 1947. The building has not been used for several decades but is maintained for its history. The truck collided with the building’s porch, destroying two stone columns, damaging the roof, and breaking windows.  

A dry form of sodium sulfate mined in the Searles Valley, and diesel fuel from the truck, spilled on the roadway. The truck was destroyed and the wreckage blocked the roadway. Highway 190 between Stovepipe Wells and Towne Pass was closed for 22 hours.  A hazmat team arrived late Tuesday night to begin management of the spill clean-up. 

CA-190 has long, steep grades on both sides of Towne Pass, which can lead to brakes overheating in heavy vehicles. An electrical contractor truck burned after descending Towne Pass on April 9. Six commercial trucks and one 5th-wheel RV caught on fire below Towne Pass in 2024. 

The crash separated the cab from the trailer/NPS

The crash separated the cab from part of the trailer/NPS

 

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