Semi truck passenger airlifted to hospital after driver falls asleep, crashes on Hwy. 46
A semi tractor trailer truck carrying food crashed and rolled on its side near the Cholame Y early Wednesday morning, sending one person to the hospital for major injuries, the California Highway Patrol said.
According the CHP, the solo-vehicle accident happened around 2:10 a.m. on Highway 46 at Antelope Road near Shandon. A driver and passenger were in the vehicle, the agency said in a news release.
According to the CHP, the driver fell asleep and crossed the eastbound lane and tipped onto its righthand side, landing on the south shoulder of the road.
The passenger was in the sleeper cab unrestrained when the accident happened, the CHP said.
The passenger suffered major injuries and was transported via helicopter to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, the agency said.
The CHP says it believes driver fatigue was the cause of the crash.
The highway was open Wednesday morning, but CHP officials said they may need to close the eastbound lane to extract the vehicle.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 9:13 AM.
