BASS LAKE – One young driver escaped serious injury this evening when the car she was driving ended up down an embankment after hitting a tree near Bass Lake Heights.
Hailey Green, 19, of Oakhurst, was eastbound on Road 426 at about 5:55 p.m., approaching the Forks Turnoff at Road 222.
For unknown reasons, she allowed her 2000 Volkswagen Beetle to travel onto the right shoulder of the road. She then veered back on to the roadway and skidded across the westbound lane, went airborne and smacked into a Ponderosa pine tree before coming to rest down the embankment on the left side of the road.
The car rotated as it skidded across the road, says CHP, and hit the tree on the passenger side with such force that it snapped the top off some 15 feet off the ground. About 20 feet of the crown then came crashing down, fortunately missing the car.
Passing motorists stopped to render aid, and the driver was able to free herself from the vehicle and wait for EMS to arrive.
Engine 4254 out of Bass Lake Cal Fire Station was first at scene, while Madera County Engine 12 set up a landing zone at the Bass Lake Fire Station. SkyLife air ambulance responded, but was called off when it was determined that the driver’s injuries were not life threatening.
She was transported by Sierra Ambulance to Community Regional Medical Center with what were described by CHP as minor injuries.
No other vehicles were involved, and the accident is under investigation.