Man who died in pile-up on CA interstate is ID'd

YUBA CITY, Calif. – Authorities have released the name of the man who died in a chain-reaction crash involving about 40 vehicles on snowy Interstate 80 in the Sierra Nevada.

Placer County Sheriff's Sgt. Ed Clark identified the victim on Saturday as Douglas Swasey, an Auburn-area resident in his late 60s.

The California Highway Patrol tells KGO-TV that Swasey was killed in the Friday afternoon crash after stepping out of his truck to either put chains on or try to get it free. The crash occurred on the interstate's westbound lanes about 70 miles east of Sacramento.

More than a dozen other people were transported to hospitals with minor to moderate injuries.

Numerous spinouts also prompted authorities to close the eastbound lanes of I-80. The highway was reopened by Saturday morning.