Driver involved in multi-vehicle crash in Chico reveals experience

Charles Edwards was on East Lassen Avenue in the left-hand turn lane, preparing to make a left turn onto Esplanade. Just before he turned, Edwards said he was struck as his airbags deployed on both sides. While he was not seriously injured and remained still in his Toyota Tundra for a few minutes, he didn't fully grasp the severity of the crash he found himself in until he got out of his truck. "I never really saw what happened until I was able to get out of the truck," Edwards said. RELATED | Fatal multi-vehicle crash shuts down Esplanade in Chico Edwards had found himself sandwiched between multiple vehicles and in the center of a multi-vehicle crash that resulted in the death of one person and several others being sent to a nearby hospital with injuries. He told the Northstate's News that firefighters tried desperately to rescue the woman who crashed into his vehicle. "They gave up and put the clothes over the windshields," Edwards said. "That's when I realized there was probably a fatality involved. It affects you when you're in a situation like that, and somebody has died." While his vehicle was completely totaled in the crash, Edwards was able to get out of his vehicle under his own power and is only suffering a couple of sore ribs. He emphasizes that a clip of him surfacing online shows him walking with a police officer, which has been taken out of context by some commenting on social media, implying he was the one who caused the wreck. "I've seen some comments imply I was drinking or that I was the one who caused the crash, and I want everyone to know that is completely false," Edwards said. The investigation into what led to the crash remains open. -- Report a correction or typo.