A 59-year-old man walking near City Heights Saturday was seriously injured when a car accidentally hit him, sending him flying into the air, according to one witness.
The crash happened just before 10 a.m. on Altadena Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard.
The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said a 27-year-old man was driving his 2012 Toyota Rav southbound on Altadena Avenue and made a left turn onto El Cajon Boulevard. As he drove eastbound, a pedestrian crossed El Cajon Boulevard and the driver struck him.
Witness Patrick Jones had just left a nearby Auto-Zone store and was driving home when he witnessed the crash. The Toyota Rav was right in front of him.
Jones told NBC 7 the impact threw the pedestrian into the air.
“He went up and he came down. That was it,” he explained.
Jones said he pulled over and ran to the victim, checking to see if he was still breathing.
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“He was bleeding real badly from the ears and from the nose,” Jones recalled. “He lost a lot of blood. I hope he’s okay.”
Jones said he stayed with the pedestrian and tried to talk with him to get him to respond to his voice. However, the man remained quiet.
“He wasn’t saying anything. He was shaking a little bit,” he added.
Soon, police and paramedics arrived.
SDPD Sgt. Chris Velovich said the victim was unconscious and suffered a life-threatening head injury in the collision. He was rushed to a local hospital, but his condition is unknown.
Sgt. Velovich said the driver immediately stopped to help the victim after the crash, rendering aid as he called 911.
The accident is under investigation, but the sergeant said alcohol or drugs did not play a factor.
Sgt. Velovich said investigators are still trying to determine who was at-fault. He said it appears the pedestrian was crossing the street outside the designated crosswalk.
The driver was not hurt. The streets were blocked off to traffic for just over an hour following the crash.
