LUCERNE, Calif. – A hit-and-run collision in Lucerne on Sunday afternoon injured a juvenile, with a ground and air search leading authorities to the suspect vehicle later in the day.
The crash occurred just before 3:30 p.m. Sunday on Highway 20 at 16th Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.
There were different reports from the scene about what had occurred. Originally dispatched as a vehicle versus a pedestrian, reports from a sheriff's deputy at the scene later related that a white U-Haul pickup had hit a sedan, causing the juvenile to be ejected from the car.
At press time the CHP had not reported on the exact circumstances or how the juvenile was injured.
The U-Haul pickup, which was said to have had major front-end damage, fled eastbound on 16th Avenue, according to reports from the scene.
A REACH air ambulance was dispatched to the scene. Originally, Northshore Fire Protection District personnel had asked for the helicopter to land at Lucerne Harbor Park, but the parking lot was filled with vehicles and boat trailers.
Instead, the juvenile was transported by ground ambulance to a landing zone set up at Sentry Market in Nice and flown to an out-of-county trauma center, according to radio reports.
At the same time, authorities were beginning the effort to find the suspect pickup.
About an hour after the crash occurred, a CHP helicopter from Redding began flying over Lucerne in an attempt to locate the damaged pickup, with several CHP cruisers searching areas of the town.
Radio reports indicated that the U-Haul pickup was found abandoned on a dirt road in the paper subdivision area above Lucerne.
A tow truck hauled the U-Haul GMC pickup – the back of which was filled with furniture – from the scene at around 7 p.m. The pickup had both major front-end damage and a dented rear bumper.
Additional information on the incident – including whether or not the vehicle's driver had been identified and the specific details of the crash itself – was not available Sunday night.
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Injury hit-and-run crash leads to search, discovery of suspect vehicle
- Elizabeth Larson
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