LUCERNE, Calif. – Authorities are continuing their efforts to identify and locate the male driver of a U-Haul pickup who caused a Sunday afternoon crash in Lucerne that injured a juvenile and then fled the scene before ditching the vehicle.
The California Highway Patrol did not release the name or age of the girl, a resident of San Jose, who was hurt in the crash, which occurred at approximately 3:22 p.m. Sunday.
Initial reports from the scene had indicated that the juvenile had either been hit on the roadway by the U-Haul pickup or may have been ejected from a vehicle that was hit by the truck, as Lake County News has reported.
However, the CHP's Monday evening report stated that based on its investigation the girl was injured in a chain-reaction crash involving a second vehicle while she was standing on the side of the highway.
The CHP said a 2002 Honda Accord was parked on the north dirt shoulder of Highway 20 east of 16th Avenue, with the girl standing directly in front of the car.
The U-Haul pickup, a white 2015 GMC, was being driven westbound by an unknown male subject on Highway 20, east of 16th Avenue, according to the CHP report.
The CHP said the pickup's driver failed to negotiate a lefthand curve in the roadway and turned unsafely to the right.
As a result, the pickup traveled to the right, off the roadway and onto the shoulder. There, the pickup's left front hit the right rear of the Honda and pushed it forward, which caused the Honda to hit the girl, the CHP said.
The CHP said the girl sustained major injuries. Both of her legs were broken and she suffered lacerations.
She was flown by a REACH air ambulance to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland for treatment, the CHP said.
Officials did not have an update on her condition on Monday evening.
After the crash, the male U-Haul driver fled the scene in the vehicle. CHP officers searched for the pickup in Lucerne by ground and with the assistance of a CHP helicopter from Redding into Sunday evening, as Lake County News has reported.
The CHP said the U-Haul pickup was found abandoned in the hills north of Lucerne.
When it was towed away Sunday evening, it had major front-end damage as well as damage to its rear bumper, with the bed of the truck still filled with furniture and appliances.
Anyone with information on the crash can contact the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office at 707-279-0103.
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CHP issues reports on Sunday hit-and-run injury crash; male driver not yet identified
- Elizabeth Larson
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