Driver Dies on Highway 49
By Doug Mattson - Friday, July 28, 2000
Ellie Marler, 40, died after her car rolled while she was driving south on Highway 49 Wednesday night. The Auburn woman had been visiting friends in Grass Valley(Photo by John Hart)
An Auburn woman on her way home Wednesday night died after crashing her car into a tree off Highway 49 south of Alta Sierra.
Ellie E. Marler, 40, was declared dead at the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital emergency room, according to the Nevada County Coroner's Office. She apparently died at the crash scene, a family member said Thursday night.
At about 10:45 p.m., just south of Quail Creek Road, Marler was heading southbound on the highway in a 1994 Toyota Camry. She drifted to her right and over-corrected her steering, causing the car to shoot across the northbound lane, said California Highway Patrol Officer Chuck Dunbar.
The car went airborne and struck a large pine tree with its right, rear quarter panel, causing the vehicle to roll, Dunbar said. She was wearing a seat belt, he said, and driving 55 mph before crashing.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation and an autopsy will likely be performed, Dunbar said. He said two southbound motorists behind Marler saw the crash, along with a northbound motorist.
Marler had two sons, ages 5 and 8, and was director of quality management at Delta Dental Insurance in Sacramento, said her ex-husband, John Marler of Auburn.
Ellie Marler was a "very uplifting, high-energy person, really good at her job - took her job real serious," he said. "She was a great mother. Everything she did was for her sons. I hope I'm half as good a father to them as she was a mother."
John Marler said his ex-wife was returning from visiting friends who lived in Grass Valley.
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