A San Luis Obispo man is in critical condition after crashing near the bottom of the Cuesta Grade Tuesday evening.
The California Highway Patrol says Orion Tyler Ross, 29, was heading northbound in the slow lane of Highway 101 at about 6:25 p.m. when he suddenly crossed in front of a driver in the fast lane.
CHP says Ross was going above 70 mph at the time and the preliminary investigation shows he may have been trying to turn left into the brake check area of the Cuesta Summit.
The other driver, identified as a 29-year-old man from Paso Robles, tried to stop, according to CHP, but hit the back of Ross’s Toyota 4Runner.
The impact caused the small SUV to overturn several times across the southbound lanes. CHP says Ross was not wearing his seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. CHP described his injuries as critical.
The other driver was not injured.
CHP says several bystanders stopped to help Ross before first responders arrived on scene.
