Paso Robles crash leaves four people hospitalized

July 26, 2016

Four people went to the hospital Monday evening after two pickup trucks drove off Highway 101 in Paso Robles. One of the trucks rolled down an embankment, while the other drove up an embankment, launched into the air and landed on a highway on-ramp. [KSBY]

The crash backed up traffic on a section of the highway that was packed with people heading to the Mid-State Fair.

At around 5:12 p.m., Sean Coffin, 27, of Paso Robles was driving a Ford truck when he suffered a medical condition while heading northbound on Highway 101. Coffin hit a Nissan Titan, forcing the truck off the side of the freeway. Mike Lockwood, 35; Melissa Lockwood, 29; and a 13 year old, all from Oceano, were in the Nissan Titan.

One of the trucks rolled down an embankment just before the Spring Street off-ramp. The pickup hit several trees on the way down.

As the one truck was heading down the embankment, the other vehicle went down the Spring Street off-ramp, failed to turn toward Spring Street and then drove up a 45-foot dirt embankment.

After driving up the embankment, the vehicle became airborne and landed on its front end on the northbound Spring Street on-ramp.

Authorities called in a helicopter, but officers determined it was too dangerous for the chopper to land at the location. Ambulances transported patients to the hospital. Coffin suffered multiple lacerations and a broke clavicle, Mike Lockwood broke his left leg and incurred lacerations, Melissa Lockwood suffered lacerations and a concussion and the teen’s injuries include lacerations and a concussion.

CHP officers and Paso Robles police closed the on and off-ramps where the accident occurred, but later reopened them.