UPDATE: Press release:

On 4/4/2013 at about 4:16 pm, the Arcata Police Department was notified of a traffic collision that had just occurred in the 4700 block of West End Road.

Upon their arrival, officers found the victim pedestrian, identified as Jeremy Vadakin, age 37 of Eureka, on the ground on the east side of the roadway suffering from major injuries. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Jeremy Sells, age 19 of Arcata, was also still at the scene.

For unknown reasons, Sells’ vehicle drifted to the right side of the roadway, striking Vadakin from behind. It is estimated that Sells’ vehicle was travelling 35-40 mph when it struck Vadakin.

After striking Vadakin, Sells lost control of his vehicle and collided with a tree along the east side of West End Road. Sells’ father and younger brother were passengers in the vehicle. All three sustained minor injuries which did not require medical attention.

Vadakin was transported by ambulance to Mad River Community Hospital. He was transferred from Mad River Community Hospital to St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka for further treatment of his injuries. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Alcohol was not a factor in this collision.

Original post below:—————————————————

Sgt. Ron Sligh of the Arcata Police Dept. said that a car struck a pedestrian in the 4700 block of West End Rd.  The pedestrian was walking north bound on the shoulder of the road.  A vehicle, also north bound, drifted onto the shoulder and struck the pedestrian, knocking him “off the road.”  The vehicle continued a a short distance further, striking a tree and coming to rest in a drainage ditch.

The victim,a 36 year old male who lives in Eureka, was conscious and alert at the scene. Sgt. Sligh described him as having “major injuries” including “significant leg injuries.”  He is being airlifted to hospital out of the area. 

A witness to the accident described a hectic scene, “One of the passengers was holding a cloth to the victim’s bleeding head wound…The car’s windshield was smashed and the car had gone into the ditch by the road just ahead of where the man lay on the ground.” 

“All of the passengers of the car’s heads were bleeding,” she said but Sgt. Sligh explained that the two passengers had minor injuries and declined medical attention.

According to Sligh, the driver of the vehicle is a 19 year old male from Arcata and the cause of the accident is still under investigation.