An Arcata man was seriously injured Tuesday when a vehicle struck him from behind while he was doing road work on Myrtle Avenue, according to a press release from the California Highway Patrol.
Kenneth Newell, 68, was operating a grinder in a construction zone on Myrtle Avenue in Eureka, near Pennsylvania and Moore avenues, when he was struck from behind by a car. The driver accidentally drove over the traffic cones and into the construction zone around 9:20 a.m.
According to the CHP press release, Eureka resident Eugene Palmer, 17, was driving southbound on Myrtle Avenue at 35 mph when he came upon the construction zone at Moore Avenue. Traffic cones and signs directed southbound motorists into the left turn lane, around construction workers that were working at the intersection.
Palmer's windshield fogged up and he was unable to see the roadway ahead of him, according to the release. He continued to drive and went over the cones and into the construction site, hitting Newell. Newell suffered major injuries and was transported to St. Joseph Hospital. According to the release, Palmer and his passenger, Richard Higgins, 17, of Eureka, were not injured.
As of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, representatives with the St. Joseph Hospital said Newell is in critical condition.
Emergency personnel from the Eureka Fire Department, Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, City Ambulance and the California Highway Patrol responded to the accident. CHP said the collision is still under investigation, and impairment was not a factor.