Four young people, one a teenager, were found unconscious and lying in the middle of an El Cajon street after being ejected from a van in a single-vehicle crash Monday night.
Firefighters arrived at the scene on the 1500 block of Avocado Avenue just after 9 p.m. and found four passengers, identified as friends in their teens or early 20s, ejected from the mini-van, some suffering from life-threatening injuries.
On Monday, the El Cajon Police Department confirmed the four people involved in the crash, two 24-year-old men, a 22-year-old woman and a 15-year-old, were expected to survive their injuries.
The vehicle had crashed into a rock embankment and flipped several times before being overtaken by flames, The El Cajon Police Department said.
The fire charred the vehicle so badly that investigators had trouble identifying its make and model, police said. It was later determined to be a 2008 Toyota mini-van.
All of the vehicle's occupants were transported to the trauma center of various local hospitals.
Investigators said the vehicle was traveling north on Avocado Avenue faster than the 45 mph limit when the driver lost control on a curve in the road. What caused the driver to lose control is unknown.
The fire also ignited a wooden utility pole but first responders with the Heartland Fire Department were able to quickly put out both fires shortly after arriving at the wreck.
ECPD shut down Avocado Avenue from E. Chase Avenue to Skywood Drive overnight due to the crash. By 6 a.m., the roadway was still shut down for the investigation.
