Brawley resident airlifted after being ejected from vehicle

A woman from Brawley suffered major injuries after she was ejected from her vehicle early Thursday morning and airlifted to a regional hospital, according to authorities.

California Highway Patrol said the driver, Brawley resident Sheila Riley, was driving her 2001 Toyota Tundra heading southbound on State Route 111 (SR-111), just north of Keystone Road.

An investigation revealed that her Toyota began drifting toward the center median. CHP officials said Riley overcorrected her steering to the right which led her to lose control of her vehicle and caused it to roll over several times. Riley was ejected onto the roadway during the collision and the vehicle continued to roll.

Both the driver and vehicle eventually came to rest within the lanes of traffic of southbound SR-111. CHP added that the rollover was witnessed by a motorist who used their vehicle to block both lanes of traffic on SR-111 to protect Riley until authorities arrived.

The driver suffered major injuries that include a broken femur and left arm as well as deep lacerations to her body. She was airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment.

CHP said the status of her seatbelt use is unclear at this time and the incident remains under investigation. Drugs and alcohol are not thought to be a factor in this collision but a vehicle matching Riley’s was reported just minutes earlier by Brawley Police Department as driving recklessly southbound on SR-111.