GREEN VALLEY LAKE: 5 injured, 2 critically, after speeding truck careens off mountain road

GREEN VALLEY LAKE — Five people were seriously injured when the driver of a pickup truck lost control while driving on a winding mountain road and careened off the pavement, went over a steep embankment and smashed into a large tree. Excessive speed and alcohol or drug intoxication were suspected to have been contributing factors in the wreck, according to CHP.

The accident, which critically injured at least two of the truck’s occupants, happened on Green Valley Lake Rd., about two miles north of Hwy 18 and near the entrance to Calvary Chapel’s Green Valley Christian Camp, in the unincorporated mountain community of Green Valley Lake.

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California Highway Patrol, along with San Bernardino County Fire, Cal Fire San Bernardino, and Running Springs Fire Department were dispatched to the scene just after 11 p.m., after guests from the nearby Christian camp heard the crash and raced to provide aid and comfort to the victims.

911 callers reported that multiple victims were trapped inside the mangled wreckage of the pickup and that all victims – including at least one juvenile – had suffered major, traumatic injuries in the wreck.

One witness to the crash who called 911 reported to CHP emergency dispatchers that her friend had been traveling at high-speed just prior to the crash. It was not immediately known if that person had been one of the victims inside the wrecked truck or was following behind or in front of it when the crash occurred.

When rescuers arrived, they found a white, full-size Chevy about 20 feet down a steep embankment. The Chevy’s entire roof was flattened and crushed inward into the truck’s passenger compartment and all occupants were trapped inside the destroyed vehicle.

Firefighters immediately began a cut and rescue operation and began the process of extricating the victims from the truck.

Based on the severity of the victim’s injuries, officials requested a total of five ground ambulances and two air ambulances to the scene.

While fire personnel were working to free the trapped victims, two MERCY Air Ambulances arrived in the area, eventually setting down at a makeshift landing zone that was quickly set up on a large sports field near Charles Hoffman Elementary about four miles away in Running Springs.

As the victims were pulled from the wrecked vehicle, guests and others from the Christian camp were seen huddled in circles, praying fervently for the survival of the five young victims. Many appeared shaken by the victim’s severe injuries they had witnessed and all declined to discuss the crash or victim’s injuries afterward.

After being extricated from the mangled pickup truck, the two most seriously injured victims were airlifted by separate air ambulances and the other three victims were transported by ground ambulances to local trauma centers.

CHP Officer Marcus Passow later explained from the scene that two of the victims were taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and the other three were taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center. Two of the victims were listed in critical condition and the others had injuries ranging from moderate to severe, according to the officer.

One of the victims was later confirmed by CHP to be a pediatric patient; however, at least one witness at the scene said there were possibly several teens inside the truck when it careened off the roadway.

CHP officers who investigated the cause of the crash determined the driver, who has not yet been publicly identified, was traveling at reckless speeds.

As the Chevy approached a sharp, right-hand, hairpin curve just south of Larry’s Camp Rd./Smokey Way the driver failed to slow for the posted 15 mph speed limit causing the truck to cross into the oncoming traffic lane, leave the roadway and soar off the embankment, where it slammed at high-speed into a tree.

While officials worked at the scene, officers called for the temporary closure of Green Valley Lake Road, diverting all traffic away from the area. The roadway was re-opened several hours later, around 2 a.m.

CHP’s crash investigation is ongoing.

To view video of this accident and rescue, filmed from the scene of the crash, visit ENMedia Productions.

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All photos by John Strangis/ENMedia Productions