KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A local man is on the mend after a Sunday morning crash in which his pickup went off the road near Kit's Corner.
David Ryan, 47, said he suffered a punctured lung, three fractured ribs, two broken vertebrae and a fractured collarbone in the crash.
California Highway Patrol Officer Kory Reynolds said Ryan was driving his 1994 Toyota pickup southbound on Highway 29 north of Highway 281 just before 9 a.m. when the crash occurred in a righthand curve.
Ryan explained that he was running errands on his way to work that morning in the pickup, which he recently had gotten in a trade. He said he had no distractions – he didn't even have the radio playing – and both hands were on the wheel.
He said he found the pickup suddenly pointing off the road. He threw himself down on the seat, “Which is probably what saved me.”
Ryan's pickup went off the roadway and down a dirt embankment, striking a tree and then a large rock, Reynolds said.
After the wreck, Ryan said he sat up and initially couldn't breathe due to the punctured lung.
A REACH air ambulance landed at nearby Kit's Corner, picking Ryan up and transporting him to Kaiser Hospital in Vacaville, Reynolds said.
Reynolds said Ryan was wearing his seat belt, and alcohol and drugs were not a factor in the crash.
Ryan said he's still not sure what caused his pickup to go off the road, although he suspects that the right back tire may have gone out.
All four tires were blown out as a result of the crash, and a mechanic who looked at the totaled pickup noted the truck possibly had rearend failures, Ryan said.
He said he's appreciated the outpouring of support from friends and community members in the wake of the crash.
Ryan, who came home from the hospital early in the week, works as a tree trimmer, Tai Chi teacher and musician. He said a friend will be doing guitar duty in his stead at an Aug. 15 gig at Ty's Blues Cafe in Soda Bay, while he continues to recover.
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