PALERMO, Calif. — An unidentified man suffered major injuries Wednesday in a high-speed, single-vehicle crash on Lincoln Boulevard so forceful it broke off the front end of the car.
California Highway Patrol officer Mark Taylor said the driver was rushed to Enloe Medical Center with multiple injuries, including fractures and lacerations. The crash occurred shortly after 5 p.m., north of Stanley Drive. Taylor said the driver, in his late 20s, was speeding south on Lincoln and lost control of the car for an unknown reason.
The car grazed a utility pole on the north side of Stanley Wheeler’s driveway at 6760 Lincoln. It then hit an olive tree on the opposite side of the driveway, breaking the tree in half. The impact of hitting the tree sheared off the sedan’s front end, sending it tumbling more than 70 yards down Lincoln before it crashed into a fence and landed in front of it.
The car veered to the right into Wheeler’s yard, spun, and landed near a side fence. The front bumper and other debris also tumbled across and down the road.Catherine Hardwick, who lives across the street, said she didn’t see the crash, but she heard a loud noise. “It was like a big boom,” she said. The motor broke her fence.
Wheeler said he was inside his house when he heard the crash and called 9-1-1.
“By the time I got out here, the neighbors were there trying to help,” Wheeler said.
Taylor said the driver was conscious when paramedics arrived. The CHP is investigating the cause of the crash. Taylor told a reporter it was difficult to tell how fast the driver was traveling. Another tree was also struck, but Taylor said it wasn’t certain whether the motor or car hit it after the initial crash.
Taylor said they are investigating “unsubstantiated” reports the individual and vehicle had come from the Bootlegger bar just before the crash. Taylor said they were told the driver appeared so intoxicated he was refused service and left in the vehicle, “spinning out” of the parking lot.
“We are conducting a DUI investigation to determine or rule out if DUI was involved,” Taylor said.
Due to the damage to the car, authorities were unable to determine the exact model of the vehicle, only that it was a Honda. Authorities did not release the name of the driver by deadline. The man’s condition was also unknown.
