Zephyr Cove man runs truck into parked trailer on Highway 50

A 54-year-old man from Zephyr Cove was taken by Care Flight helicopter to Washoe Medical Center following a one car accident Sunday morning.

At 10:14 a.m., David Ryan was driving a 2002 black Chevy truck eastbound on Highway 50 West when the vehicle traveled across three lanes of traffic and collided with a parked cargo trailer in a parking area near the junction with Highway 395.

"The driver of the vehicle (Ryan) veered in front of said he was slumped over the wheel of the truck," Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Michael Primeaux said.

It took firefighters from the Carson City and Tahoe-Douglas fire departments nearly 25 minutes to remove the man from the vehicle, which became lodged under the truck.

"Based on the failure of the trailer supports, that ruled out pulling the truck out from under it, so we secured the trailer so the driver wouldn't sustain more injuries. He was conscious during the extraction process," Battalion Chief Dan Shirey said.

Firefighters used three sets of extraction tools to remove the top half of the truck to allow better access to the man.

"The only thing that saved him was that he hit the supports on the trailer. Otherwise, he'd have gone straight under it," Capt. Bob Schreihans said.

After Ryan was removed from the vehicle, he was transported by Care Flight with critical head and chest injuries, but his injuries were considered non-life threatening, according to Primeaux.

"We had two agencies respond to the accident, and it was a great cooperative effort," Shirey said.

-- Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.