NORTH COAST, Calif. – A crash on Highway 20 in Mendocino County temporarily shut down the roadway on Wednesday and left both drivers with injuries, one of them major.
The collision occurred just before 11:45 a.m. Wednesday on Highway 20 west of Potter Valley Road, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Ukiah Area office.
The CHP said Andrew H. Guridi, 31, of Rohnert Park was driving a 2015 Toyota Prius westbound on Highway 20 west of Potter Valley Road at an unknown speed while Patrick D. Lorenzi, 54, of Stockton was driving a 2010 white freight truck eastbound at approximately 50 to 55 miles per hour.
For an unknown reason, Guridi made what the CHP said was an “unsafe turning movement” and entered the eastbound lane, directly in the path of the truck.
The CHP said the front of the Prius collided with the front left side of the truck.
Guridi’s Prius sustained major front end damage and came to rest blocking the westbound lane of Highway 20, while the freight truck left the roadway and traveled 15 to 20 feet down the embankment, the CHP said.
The report said Guridi suffered major injuries, including a bone fracture in his lower right leg and lip lacerations, and was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Lorenzi had minor injuries, mainly a bump to the forehead.
The highway was temporarily shut down for a short time after the wreck and traffic control was in effect for several hours before the road completely reopened at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the CHP.
The CHP said the cause of the collision remains under investigation.
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