BY PETER DAY
Editor
LUCERNE VALLEY • A man was extricated from a vehicle and airlifted to a trauma center after his car collided with a SUV on Thursday morning, California Highway Patrol officials said.
The incident was reported at about 11:40 a.m., and San Bernardino County Fire personnel and CHP officers were on scene soon after.
A white SUV was traveling west on Highway 18, in the left-turn pocket, and proceeded to turn onto Trade Post Road. The driver apparently failed to notice an eastbound Geo Metro and turned directly in front of the smaller vehicle, according to CHP Officer Mantie Hutton.
The vehicles collided in the eastbound lane of Highway 18 at Trade Post Road. A large pile of paperwork spilled out from the sedan.
Due to the intensity of the collision, which severely damaged the right front end of the Metro, the driver was trapped inside his vehicle. Emergency personnel had to employ extricationequipment to remove the man from his car.
The injured driver was taken from the scene by ground ambulance and later airlifted, according to CHP. The names of the drivers were not released.
The CHP is investigating the collision.