Car crashes into truck in Costa Mesa

A high-speed accident involving a minivan and a semi truck and trailer in Costa Mesa sent a 16-year-old girl to the hospital with life-threatening injuries early Saturday, police said.

The driver, whose identity cannot be released because she is a minor, was traveling just east of Harbor Boulevard on Sunflower Avenue with two passengers when she collided with the truck at 2:30 a.m., Sgt. Mark Manley said.

“During the collision, it appeared that one of the truck’s external fuel tanks was severed. It released a moderate amount of fuel. There was no fire,” he said. One of the passengers in the minivan was 22-year-old Jordania Macedo of Santa Ana. The other passenger, described only as a male, fled the scene, Manley said.

“We’re not sure if he sustained any injuries, and we haven’t made any headway on who he is. We don’t know why he fled the scene,” Manley said.

The female minivan driver, of Santa Ana, was taken to Western Medical Center and treated for life-threatening head and neck injuries, Sgt. Dale Birney said.

Manley said on Saturday evening that the driver is still alive.

The truck driver, 54-year-old Gerald Pugh of Los Angeles, did not sustain any injuries, Manley said.