EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — A late-night electric vehicle crash on Serrano Parkway resulted in multiple fatalities and required an extensive emergency response because of the hazards created by a severely damaged lithium-ion battery system.
The El Dorado Hills Fire Department was dispatched at approximately 10:40 p.m. to westbound Serrano Parkway between Terracina Drive and Silva Valley Parkway, where crews encountered a heavily damaged electric vehicle involved in the collision.
The location is a heavily traveled corridor serving the El Dorado Hills community. Serrano Parkway runs east-west through the community and connects with Silva Valley Parkway, one of the area’s principal north-south routes. County transportation records identify Serrano Parkway as a two-lane east-west collector serving the El Dorado Hills area.
Two women and a man were killed and a woman was hospitalized after a car crashed into a tree in El Dorado Hills on Saturday night.
The El Dorado Hills Fire Department and the California Highway Patrol said crews responded to the crash around 10:30 p.m. on westbound Serrano Parkway, west of Terracina Drive.
CHP said two women – the driver and a passenger, were pronounced dead at the scene following the fire. Another passenger, a 30-year-old man from Sacramento, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.
A 28-year-old Sacramento woman was able to escape the car and was taken to an area hospital with major injuries, according to CHP.
The roadway was closed until 4:30 a.m. on Sunday and CHP is investigating.
High-Voltage Battery Created Additional Hazards
Firefighters faced unusually difficult conditions while working at the crash scene.
According to reports from local media citing the El Dorado Hills Fire Department, the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery system was significantly damaged. Emergency crews had to account for high-voltage components while extinguishing the vehicle and managing the scene.
Those hazards can complicate vehicle-fire operations because damaged electric-vehicle battery systems can remain energized and may present additional risks to firefighters and rescue personnel. In this case, the department deployed multiple fire, rescue, water-supply and medical resources to address the incident.
The response required firefighters to take additional precautions before the vehicle could be brought under control.
Multiple Fatalities Confirmed
Officials confirmed that multiple people were killed in the crash.
However, authorities had not released the victims’ identities or provided a definitive public count of those killed in the information available at the time of publication. Those details are expected to be clarified as investigators and authorities complete their notifications and investigation.
No assumptions about the identities of the victims should be made until official information is released.
CHP Leading Investigation
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the collision, including what led to the crash and the specific circumstances surrounding the deaths.
At this stage, officials have not identified a cause, and there is no indication in the available information that investigators have reached a conclusion regarding speed, impairment, mechanical failure, driver behavior or any other potential contributing factor.
Those questions remain part of the investigation.
The crash occurred near the Silva Valley Parkway and Serrano Parkway corridor. A recent El Dorado County traffic analysis documented three injury collisions at the Silva Valley Parkway/Serrano Parkway intersection between 2019 and 2023, although none involved a fatality during that study period.
That historical data does not establish any connection to the current fatal crash, but it provides local transportation context for the area.
Investigation Remains Active
For El Dorado Hills residents, the incident underscores the challenges emergency crews can face when a serious collision involves an electric vehicle and a damaged high-voltage battery system.
The most important facts remain straightforward: multiple people lost their lives, firefighters confronted a complicated vehicle fire, and the California Highway Patrol is working to determine why the crash occurred.
As the investigation continues, additional information about the victims, the vehicle and the circumstances of the collision may be released by authorities.
Sources: California Highway Patrol and El Dorado Hills Fire Department information as reported by local media, including the Mountain Democrat report and Village Life report. County roadway and collision context was reviewed using El Dorado County transportation documents.
