A three-car accident that sent a pick-up truck careening into a big rig on Highway 156 Thursday morning pinned one driver under the semi and sent three people to the hospital, according to law enforcement officers.
Two people involved were transported to the hospital with minor injuries and one 80-year-old Crows Landing resident was life-flighted with major injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Salinas resident Anita Lavaisse, 46, was stopped at a stop sign on Highway 156 in her 1997 Ford Escort, waiting to make a left hand turn onto Highway 152 around 8:50 a.m., according to the CHP.
When she pulled out into the intersection she didn’t see a 1989 Chevy Silverado pick-up truck hauling a travel trailer behind it driving eastbound on Highway 152, driven by 80-year-old Manuel Cardoza, who’s 73-year-old wife was in the passenger seat, said CHP Officer Dave Hill.
Cardoza was unable to avoid colliding with Lavaisse, hitting the left front side of her car at about 50 mph.
“Another second and she would have got hit on her drivers-side door and it would have been a lot worse for her,” Hill said. “Everyone was very lucky.”
Because of the impact, Cardoza’s vehicle veered to the left, striking a big rig that was stopped in the left-hand turn lane on Highway 152, waiting to merge onto Highway 156, Hill said.
The big rig was driven by Oscar Pineda, 34, out of Watsonville. He sustained no injuries.
After Cardoza hit the semi, his truck skidded down the left-hand side of the trailer, the front portion got stuck under the trailer near the rear wheels.
“Cardoza was pinned in the driver’s seat and had to be extricated by CDF (California Department of Forestry),” Hill said. “He had major injuries – chest and facial trauma with broken bones and lacerations.”
Cardoza was life-flighted by CALSTAR to San Jose Medical Center, but his injuries were not life-threatening according to doctors, Hill said.
Lavaisse and Doris Cardoza both sustained minor injuries, including scrapes and bruises, but were both taken to San Jose Medical Center as a precaution, Hill said.
Cardoza’s wife was taken by ambulance and Lavaisse was life-flighted by Stanford Life Flight.
All three vehicles had to be towed from the scene, but traffic was not held up because emergency personnel were able to divert cars around the wreck, which was mostly in the middle of the large intersection, Hill said.
It took about an hour and half before the road was cleared of all the debris.
