Woman injured after car veers into ditch

A woman suffered injuries after her truck veered into a ditch as she allegedly tried to evade another vehicle at W. County 13th St. and S. Ave. F Thursday afternoon.

According to Somerton Cocopah Fire Department (SCFD), firefighters arrived on scene and found a light blue Ford Ranger pickup in a cement irrigation culvert with the 27-year-old driver and her two-and-a-half-year-old child standing outside of it.

The 27-year-old woman was the driver of the pickup and said that she had exited the vehicle on her own with her child who had been restrained in a child car seat. The woman told authorities she was heading eastbound on County 13th Street when an unknown black vehicle passed her at a high rate of speed and appeared to swerve into her lane of traffic.

She stated that she swerved to avoid being sideswiped, overcorrected, and ended up going into the westbound lane and off the road on the north side of County 13th Street, fire officials said. The swerve led down a small embankment which pulled the vehicle into the culvert.

The two-and-a-half-year-old child did not have any obvious injuries, thanks to being restrained in the car seat, SCFD added. The 27-year-old mother struck her head and suffered an obvious head injury. The mother was transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.

An investigation is currently underway by the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office.