Four Visitors Seriously Injured In Two Accidents (NPS Digest)

Four Visitors Seriously Injured In Two Accidents (NPS Digest)
Five visitors were injured in two accidents that occurred in the park this past Saturday, four of them seriously. On Saturday morning, two motorcyclists ran into each other in a head-on collision near Porcupine Creek Campground on the Tioga Road, causing traumatic injuries to both. One suffered a broken arm and head injuries, including skull fractures and a subarachnoid bleed, and was flown in the park’s helicopter to a local hospital; the other suffered a severely broken foot and was transported to the Yosemite Valley Medical Clinic via ambulance. Both riders were wearing helmets. Later that evening, a vehicle heading west on Big Oak Flat Road near Crane Flat Campground went off the road and down a steep 25 foot embankment and hit a large tree. All three occupants were injured – one suffered a possible detached sternum and thoracic and abdominal injuries and was flown to a local hospital; one suffered abdominal injuries and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital; and one suffered a sprained right knee and was released at the scene. Ambulances from Yosemite Valley, Crane Flat, and Tuolumne County all responded. An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.