Placer County

Stretching from Sacramento’s suburbs, through Lake Tahoe, all the way to the Nevada border is Placer County, California. Known as Gold Country, it is partially in Sierra Nevada and partially in Sacramento Valley with a population of over 348,000 people. It spent its early days as a gold mining town but gradually became a fertile farming county. Harvesting timber and working for the newly emerging Southern Pacific Railroad were also popular occupations in the early days. Granit quarries still help fiscally support the county. The county has two national protected areas, El Dorado National Forest and the Tahoe National Forest. It was also the host of the 1960 Winter Olympics.

With such an interesting history, there are many museums throughout the county showcasing artifacts, displays, exhibits and interactive learning activities to give visitors a taste of its earliest days. The Carnegie Library and Museum has musical instruments dating back to 1865 and model airplanes from the 1920’s. There is also a mini replica of the Sacramento Northern Street Car Line.

The Maidu Museum and Historic Site offers guided tours of the changing exhibits and a nature area. A loop trail gives visitors a chance to view authentic petroglyphs relics of the native people, the NIsenan or "Southern Maidu" that once lived there. There are still many artifacts and evidence of what life was like in ancient times.

The Gold Country Medical Museum is the original hospital established in 1855 with a grant of $1400 from the state of California. Its purpose was to care for the indigent. Today, it is still a hospital from the gold rush era, displaying the knowledge and medical care received until the 20^th century.

The Gold Rush Museum is only open on weekends but well worth the wait. It tells the tale of the entire gold rush era in the region. Visitors can see exhibits featuring the gold mining lifestyle, panning demonstrations and interactive exhibits, an operational stamp mill model and a walk through a gold mine. The draw of learning about life in this monumental era of American life is irresistible.

There are many venues for transportation in the cities of Placer County; Auburn, Lincoln, Rocklin and Roseville. Interstate 80 is a major transportation hub as well as state routes 28, 49, 65, 89, 174 and 267. Public transportation is also plentiful. Placer County Transit bus service, Gold Country Stage and Tahoe Area Regional Transit provide public transportation all over the area as well as Amtrak and Greyhound.

With so many busy roads and popular attractions, there are many accidents that happen in Placer County each year. In Lincoln, during June of 2015, Dyanna Lynn Jenkins, 45, collided into a cement truck and lost her life. A 23 year old motorcyclists, David Andrew Wallin, lost his life in February of 2015 when he crashed at Cobblestone Drive and Stanford Ranch Road. Excessive speed is thought to be a factor. David Koppin, 56 years old, was killed in September of 2015 when his vehicle crashed into a train near Athens Avenue and Industrial.

Car accidents are devastating not only to the victim but to their families and friends. No matter how seemingly minimal, it can invade your entire life. From wages and career to relationships, mobility and quality of life, even mental stability can be effected by a car accident. Loss of property is just the icing on the cake. The situation becomes even direr when the accident victim is the family breadwinner and primary caregiver. Obtaining competent legal representation with knowledge and experience specifically in Placer County car accidents is imperative to replicating the life that existed before the accident.