A motorist was seriously injured Wednesday when concrete debris from a damaged center-divider wall smashed through his windshield on Interstate 8 near Grossmont High School.
Part of the barrier was broken apart in the area of Severin Drive in La Mesa by an out-of-control eastbound Ford F-350 truck that plowed into it shortly after noon, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Chunks of the wall landed on the other side of the freeway and hurtled into the front of a westbound Infiniti G37 coupe, shattering its windshield and severely injuring the 24-year-old El Cajon man behind the wheel.
Medics took him to Sharp Memorial Hospital along with the driver of the truck, whose condition was not released.
Utility truck and car involved. Car appears to be straddling center divide. @10News pic.twitter.com/tz0JoR8J9I
— Rachel Bianco (@10NewsRBianco) September 30, 2015
Update: The left lane on EB & WB I-8 at Severin Dr. remain closed for guardrail repair of an earlier collision. pic.twitter.com/E133kS7oN8
— Caltrans San Diego (@SDCaltrans) September 30, 2015
The wreck forced closures of two lanes on each side of the interstate into the mid-afternoon. The freeway was fully open again in the area by about 4 p.m.
Authorities believe the driver of the pickup, 64-year-old Lakeside man who was towing a car on a trailer, may have suffered a medical emergency just prior to the accident, since a witness described seeing him slumped over the steering wheel before the truck hit the wall, CHP public affairs Officer Kevin Pearlstein said.
