(Single Vehicle roll-over)….It was reported early Friday morning.
The California Highway Patrol has released their initial report. The vehicle, a 1988 Chevy Nova, was traveling east on Interstate 8. The vehicle was being driven by 24-year-old Jefferson William Greenwood from Utah. The CHP says the vehicle was traveling between 65 and 70 miles per hour. At close to 5:30 in the morning Greenwood, for undetermined reasons, made an unsafe turning movement to the left and onto the dirt shoulder. The driver lost control of the vehicle and it traveled down a descending dirt embankment. The vehicle rolled, landing in the dirt center divide. As the vehicle rolled, a passenger in the vehicle, 32-year-old Hans Stephen Jenkins was ejected from the vehicle. Jenkins, also from Utah, was not wearing a seatbelt. He struck the ground. At some the vehicle caught fire. The vehicle came to rest on its wheels in the center divide. Greenwood, who was wearing a seatbelt, was able to exit the Chevy on his own. He went to check on Jenkins. When fire crews arrived, the vehicle was fully engulfed. The Interstate was closed for about 30 minutes to allow for emergency crews to work the incident and for a REACH Air Ambulance to land and transport the injured man to Desert Regional Hospital. The injuries were described as major. Greenwood, who said he pain to his head, refused medical attention. The CHP is continuing to investigate the collision. They say alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the incident.