Driver In Critical Condition After Head-On Crash Near Lake Mathews

LAKE MATHEWS, CA — A driver remained in critical condition Thursday following a head-on collision that also injured multiple youths just south of Lake Mathews.

The crash happened about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on La Sierra Avenue, less than a mile north of Cajalco Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officer Javier Navarro told City News Service that a man at the wheel of a Toyota Corolla was going south on La Sierra when he "allowed the car to drift to the left, over the double yellow lines, into northbound lanes."

A Tesla headed northbound encountered the sedan a split second later, and the driver was unable to maneuver out of the Toyota's path, according to Navarro.

"There was a head-on collision," he said.

A CHP officer was the first to reach the crash scene and found the Toyota driver, whose identity was not disclosed, "unresponsive, without a pulse and not breathing," Navarro said.

He said the officer performed CPR on the victim until Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department paramedics arrived minutes later and took over resuscitative measures.

The man was revived and taken to a regional trauma center, where he remained Thursday.

Officials said that the four juveniles in the Tesla, whose identities also were not disclosed, suffered minor to major injuries and were also hospitalized.

Their conditions were unconfirmed Thursday, and the crash remains under investigation.