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Five hospitalized after Interstate 8 crash that sent car down embankment

August 10, 2012|By CELESTE ALVAREZ | Staff Writer

UPDATE

Five people were hospitalized Friday afternoon — three with major injuries — after two vehicles collided on Interstate 8, closing the roadway down for several hours.

All but one of the people in the two vehicles were taken to UC San Diego Medical Center by Reach Air Ambulance Service after the accident in the westbound lanes of traffic west of Dunaway Road.

Jiajen Royden Tan, 28, was driving a 2012 Ford Fusion about 2:45 p.m. Friday with Suzuki Ayako, 34 and an unnamed 1-year-old — all out of Tucson — as passengers when the car drifted on the right shoulder and hit a Jeep Wrangler that was parked there, according to a press release from the California Highway Patrol. The accident pushed the Jeep, carrying Jorge Tellez, 60, and Margarita Tellez, 57, of Calexico down an embankment near the road.

The Ford spun around and came to rest in an easterly direction within the No. 2 lane. That lane remained closed for more than three hours while the other lane was closed intermittently for emergency personnel and the landing and takeoff of REACH Air Ambulance.

Tan and Ayako received major injuries, Tan transported to El Centro Regional Medical Center and Ayako taken with the 1-year-old to UC San Diego Medical Center. The 1-year-old received minor injuries.

Jorge Tellez was not reported by the California Highway Patrol to have received injuries, but Margarita Tellez had major injuries, and both were taken to the San Diego medical center.

The accident remains under investigation.

ORIGINAL

A portion of Interstate-8 is currently closed and traffic is being rerouted towards Dunaway Road, after a traffic collision involving two vehicles occurred around 3 p.m. today.

Two paramedic helicopters were called to air-lift injured individuals out of the area.

Individuals at the scene have noted that traffic is currently backed up for about a mile.

More information regarding this collision will be updated as it becomes presently available.

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