SANTA ANA, Calif., June 10 (UPI) -- Police in Santa Ana, Calif., were searching for a passenger who left behind a portion of his scalp while fleeing a two-vehicle collision.
Authorities said that after the unidentified passenger managed to free himself from the van after it struck a truck, he then helped the injured 16-year-old girl who was driving get out of the vehicle before fleeing on foot, the Los Angeles Times said Sunday.
The teenage driver, who police said was driving under the influence, suffered life-threatening injuries in Saturday's crash.
She apparently was traveling at a high speed when the van collided with a truck traveling in the same direction. A female passenger in the truck suffered minor burns, while the truck's driver was uninjured.
"He ran away, leaving part of his scalp inside," Lt. Dale Birney said of the injured passenger. "Right now the driver is facing a misdemeanor DUI charge because the injuries to the female passenger were minor."
Birney told the Times that if the unidentified man is found, that charge could become a felony due to the serious injury he sustained.
