Two Crashes on Westbound I-8 in Yuma Foothills Send Multiple People to Hospital

Two crashes struck westbound Interstate 8 in the Yuma Foothills within 30 minutes Friday morning, sending four people to the hospital and leaving one person trapped inside a crumpled vehicle before Rural Metro crews could pull them free.

The first crash unfolded around 7 a.m. near the Fortuna Road exit, where a utility truck and a tractor pulling equipment collided. Rural Metro crews arriving on scene "quickly stabilized both vehicles" and "began assessing the occupants," according to the agency's Facebook post. Two people from that crash were transported to Onvida Foothills with minor injuries.

Before 7:30 a.m., a second crash occurred on westbound I-8 just a mile before the Fortuna Road scene. That collision involved three vehicles, two of which sustained major damage while the third suffered minimal damage. Crews found one person trapped inside one of the vehicles and "safely removed the victim from the vehicle," Rural Metro said. That person was taken to Onvida Main with minor injuries. A second victim from the same crash was also transported to Onvida Main with minor injuries.

All four people transported across both crashes were described as having minor injuries. The cause of both crashes remains under investigation.