Crime & Safety

Head-on Crash Leaves Man in Critical Condition

The driver, who veered into oncoming traffic and hit a semi-trailer truck, is rushed to a hospital.

A head-on crash on Rancho California Road left a man in critical condition today.
The incident, which was reported at 4:28 p.m. at Camino Seco. For details on the crash, .

The driver of the van was in critical condition and had two broken femurs, according to officials on the scene.

A gravel truck with two trailers was going east on Rancho California Road just west of Camino Seco when a green minivan heading west veered into oncoming traffic and slammed into the truck head-on, CHP officers on the scene said.
Traffic was closed on Rancho California Road.

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The truck driver steered onto a nearby hill in an attempt to avoid the van, and it lay halfway on the shoulder as the dust settled an hour after the crash.

The van lay in the westbound lane with a demolished front end with miscellaneous debris littering the road.

Find out what's happening in Temeculawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

An hour and a half after the crash, law enforcement officials were searching the area for the van's engine. They speculated it was either thrown over a hill into a nearby field or forced into the van's chassis.

The crash drew residents into the streets to see the wreckage.

"I heard this loud (noise) and I thought it was thunder," said Polly Johnson, who lives nearby. "About five minutes later i heard the sirens."
The engine was missing.


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