http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14278640p-15087462c.html
Sacramento musician among four killed in head-on crash
By Mary Lynne Vellinga and Deepa Ranganathan -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 6:28 pm PDT Saturday, July 15, 2006
Updated 11:15 p.m., Saturday - Four people, one of them a well-known Sacramento musician, were killed Saturday afternoon in a head-on collision on Highway 16 just east of Rancho Murieta.
Erik Kleven, 56, a bassist and tuba player who taught music for many years, was driving his white 1964 Volvo east on Highway 16 just before 3 p.m. when he collided head-on with a blue 1997 Volvo sedan traveling west, investigators said.
The accident occurred on a two-lane stretch of Highway 16 that divides the houses and golf course of Rancho Murieta from the rolling, golden hills of the Van Vleck Ranch to the south.
California Highway Patrol Sgt. Dan Snook said the blue Volvo apparently drifted into the eastbound lane. Kleven tried to swerve out of the way, but the vehicles crashed on the shoulder.
The 1997 Volvo burst into flames, igniting a 5-acre grass fire that took 30 minutes to suppress. The road remained closed into the evening. Snook said a fuel leak may have caused the fire.
All three passengers in the 1997 Volvo were killed. The Sacramento County Coroner's Office declined to identify them Saturday night pending notification of relatives. The car is registered to an owner in San Rafael.
Two of the women were badly burned and died at the scene. Investigators said they weren't sure whether the women died from the impact of the crash or from the fire.
A third woman was declared dead on arrival after being transported by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Medical Center. A fourth woman, the driver, was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries, Snook said.
A crowd of investigators from the CHP, Metro Fire and the Coroner's Office were called to the crash. The road remained closed at the accident scene until well after 7 p.m., and the acrid smoke from the grass fire hung in the air.
Kleven's neighbors on Sloat Way, the Curtis Park street where he lived for much of his life, said they were in shock after a representative from the Coroner's Office arrived to deliver the news. Kleven lived alone in a Craftsman bungalow with a collection of cats, basses and tubas. His ex-wife and teenage son live down the street, said Nick Willow, 35, a friend, neighbor and former student.
Willow, who delivered the news of Kleven's death to his wife and son, said it was "devastating."
"He's a pillar of the Sacramento music scene," Willow said. "If you're a musician in Sacramento, you've either taken lessons from the guy or you've seen him in a band. It's pretty devastating."
He called Kleven a "gentle soul" whose house was packed with books and who freely offered to let people borrow his instruments.
"He probably has a dozen or two-dozen instruments out there in Sacramento right now," Willow said. "The words he used were 'the indefinite loan.' "
The Bee's Mary Lynne Vellinga can be reached at (916) 321-1094 or mlvellinga@sacbee.com.
I know we have several members who are active in the Sacramento music scene. My heartfelt condolences to any of you who may have known him and to his family and friends.
Sacramento musician among four killed in head-on crash
By Mary Lynne Vellinga and Deepa Ranganathan -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 6:28 pm PDT Saturday, July 15, 2006
Updated 11:15 p.m., Saturday - Four people, one of them a well-known Sacramento musician, were killed Saturday afternoon in a head-on collision on Highway 16 just east of Rancho Murieta.
Erik Kleven, 56, a bassist and tuba player who taught music for many years, was driving his white 1964 Volvo east on Highway 16 just before 3 p.m. when he collided head-on with a blue 1997 Volvo sedan traveling west, investigators said.
The accident occurred on a two-lane stretch of Highway 16 that divides the houses and golf course of Rancho Murieta from the rolling, golden hills of the Van Vleck Ranch to the south.
California Highway Patrol Sgt. Dan Snook said the blue Volvo apparently drifted into the eastbound lane. Kleven tried to swerve out of the way, but the vehicles crashed on the shoulder.
The 1997 Volvo burst into flames, igniting a 5-acre grass fire that took 30 minutes to suppress. The road remained closed into the evening. Snook said a fuel leak may have caused the fire.
All three passengers in the 1997 Volvo were killed. The Sacramento County Coroner's Office declined to identify them Saturday night pending notification of relatives. The car is registered to an owner in San Rafael.
Two of the women were badly burned and died at the scene. Investigators said they weren't sure whether the women died from the impact of the crash or from the fire.
A third woman was declared dead on arrival after being transported by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Medical Center. A fourth woman, the driver, was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries, Snook said.
A crowd of investigators from the CHP, Metro Fire and the Coroner's Office were called to the crash. The road remained closed at the accident scene until well after 7 p.m., and the acrid smoke from the grass fire hung in the air.
Kleven's neighbors on Sloat Way, the Curtis Park street where he lived for much of his life, said they were in shock after a representative from the Coroner's Office arrived to deliver the news. Kleven lived alone in a Craftsman bungalow with a collection of cats, basses and tubas. His ex-wife and teenage son live down the street, said Nick Willow, 35, a friend, neighbor and former student.
Willow, who delivered the news of Kleven's death to his wife and son, said it was "devastating."
"He's a pillar of the Sacramento music scene," Willow said. "If you're a musician in Sacramento, you've either taken lessons from the guy or you've seen him in a band. It's pretty devastating."
He called Kleven a "gentle soul" whose house was packed with books and who freely offered to let people borrow his instruments.
"He probably has a dozen or two-dozen instruments out there in Sacramento right now," Willow said. "The words he used were 'the indefinite loan.' "
The Bee's Mary Lynne Vellinga can be reached at (916) 321-1094 or mlvellinga@sacbee.com.
I know we have several members who are active in the Sacramento music scene. My heartfelt condolences to any of you who may have known him and to his family and friends.
