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Three injured in collision
Police seek witnesses
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A car speeding along W. Christoffersen Parkway early Saturday morning went out of control and collided with a tree, injuring the driver and his two passengers.

The car was a crumpled mess of metal after hitting a light pole, crashing through a chain link fence and striking a tree. All three individuals survived, though with critical injuries.

“It was lucky that medical personnel arrived so quickly, or the outcome could have been significantly different,” said Turlock Police spokesperson Officer Mayra Lewis.

The collision occurred around 4:40 a.m. Saturday on W. Christoffersen parkway, just east of McKenna Street.

According to the police report, the male driver lost control of the vehicle and struck a light pole. The speed and force of impact sent the vehicle careening through a fence at the California State University, Stanislaus campus. The car then went airborne and struck a large tree roof first before coming to a stop.

A female passenger riding in the back of the vehicle was ejected through the rear window during the collision. She sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries and was treated and released from a nearby hospital.

The male driver, a juvenile, and his adult male passenger were both pinned inside the vehicle. The Turlock Fire Department responded to the scene to rescue the two men, in what was described as an “extremely complicated and technical extrication” by the fire department. The entire process took about one hour.

The male driver lost consciousness in the collision and sustained life-threatening injuries. He was taken by air ambulance to a local hospital, where he remains in the intensive care unit, Turlock Police Sgt. Stephen Webb reported.

The male passenger suffered major, but non-life threatening injuries and was taken by an air ambulance to a local hospital, where he remains under care.

The Turlock Police Department has ruled alcohol and drugs were not factors in the crash, but that speed and the cold, wet road was a contributing cause.

A total of 32 emergency personnel responded to the scene.

The collision remains under investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed it is asked to contact Turlock Police Detective James Brewer at 668-5550 ext. 6631.