Gardnerville man one of three killed in accident

A Gardnerville man was one of three people killed in a collision on Highway 395 in Bodie Flats on Sunday evening.

Norman Sharkey Jr., 36, of Gardnerville; Gabriel Ortega, 27; and his father, Eugene Leroy Sandoval, 59, both of Henderson, Colo., were killed, according to Trooper Larry Barnes of the Nevada Highway Patrol.

A service for Sharkey, who once managed Superior Car Wash in Gardnerville, is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Heritage Park.

Friend Terry Martinez said Sharkey lived in Carson Valley for about a dozen years.

"When he left the house at about 5 p.m., he said he was headed out to shoot," Martinez said.

Sharkey was an auto mechanic and worked with several youth groups in the Valley.

"He dressed up as Santa and went to visit the old folks homes with the 4-H kids," she said. "He passed out candy."

Martinez said Sharkey was a member of the Active 20-30 Club and coached inline hockey and youth baseball.

Sharkey was killed Sunday when his pickup crossed the center line south of China Spring on Highway 395.

The truck hit a Swift tractor-trailer carrying driver Ortega and passenger Sandoval about 5:49 p.m.

The collision set off ammunition inside the pickup truck and sparked a wildfire that burned about five acres on both the east and west sides of the highway. More than 10 engines responded to the blaze, which witnesses described as a wall of fire.

Douglas County deputies and the NHP closed the highway between Riverview Drive and the 395 junction with Highway 208 until early Monday morning.