COARSEGOLD — A head-on collision sent one man to the hospital this evening, and blocked Highway 41 for over an hour.
Just after 8 p.m., a 16-year-old male from Coarsegold was southbound on Highway 41 in a green 2000 Subaru Outback, traveling at an unknown rate of speed, approaching Van Teri Lane south of Coarsegold.
An 18-year-old male, also from Coarsegold, was also southbound in an unknown type of vehicle, waiting to turn left off Highway 41 onto Van Teri, as the Subaru approached from behind.
According to CHP at the scene, when the driver of the Subaru saw the vehicle stopped in front of him, he swerved into the northbound lane where he collided head-on with a blue 2003 Chevy S10 pickup, driven by a 62-year-old male, also a resident of Coarsegold.
The force of the collision sent the pickup careening off the east side of the roadway, where it rolled off the embankment onto its side and caught fire.
The 18-year-old who was making the left-hand turn was not hit during the collision, and immediately got out of his vehicle and ran to help the man who was still in the burning pickup. According to CHP, he was able to extricate the driver.
Cal Fire Engines 4285 and 4295 responded from the Coarsegold station, which is less than a mile north of the accident scene, and quickly extinguished the fire, which spread just a few feet into the vegetation, and rendered medical aid to the injured man.
The driver of the pickup suffered lacerations to the head, chest pains, and was in and out of consciousness, according to CHP. He was transported by Sierra Ambulance to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno.
The driver of the Subaru suffered cuts and scrapes and was not transported for medical treatment, but was retrieved from the scene by his father.
The roadway was blocked for over an hour as the injured driver was treated and prepared for transport by EMS, and the damaged vehicles were removed. There were no passengers in the two vehicles involved.
There is no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved. The accident remains under investigation.
As traffic backed up for miles in both directions, another accident was reported up near the Cal Fire station. A tow truck driver en route to the first accident reportedly pushed a car blocking the roadway off into a wide spot. No one was reported to be injured in the second crash.
Meanwhile, over on Road 600, CHP was requested to respond to an accident in which a motorist hit and killed a deer, which was blocking the road. The Sheriff’s Office was asked to respond to that incident, and CHP would take a report when they were clear of the Highway 41 incidents.
