Five Injured In East County Crash

LA MESA, CA -- The driver of one car and a family of four in another were taken to hospitals after a major crash on an East County freeway Sunday.

California Highway Patrol dispatchers first received word of the crash, on southbound state Route 125 at its interchange with state Route 94, at about 1:45 p.m. The stretch of freeway runs along the southeastern edge of La Mesa.

The driver of a Chevrolet Camaro in the far left lane apparently tried to change lanes across most of the freeway in a last-second attempt to access a transition ramp, Heartland Fire and Rescue spokesman Sonny Saghera said. Instead, he crashed into a guard rail, then struck a Ford Fiesta with two adults and two children inside.

The Camaro flipped over, and the driver was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital with serious injuries, Saghera said. The family in the Fiesta were all taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital, and Saghera had no information on their conditions.

CHP officers shut down all of southbound Route 125 for a time after the crash, an incident log indicated, but all lanes have since been reopened.

--City News Service/Photo via Shutterstock