Squaw Valley man injured in crash with lemon hauler near Cutler

A Squaw Valley man sustained major injuries in a collision Friday after he collided with a big rig south of Cutler, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The crash took place about 4:30 p.m. as the man, identified as Ryan Aiello, 37, was northbound on State Route 63 in a 2014 Chevrolet approaching Avenue 386. Aiello was following a 2015 Peterbilt hauling lemons with a tandem trailer. The big rig driver, Gaston Espinosa, 45, of Delano, slowed to about 5 m.p.h. to make a left turn onto Avenue 386, and Aiello reportedly failed to slow sufficiently and rear-ended the Peterbilt. Aiello was cut from the wreckage by firefighters and taken to Kaweah Delta Medical Center. Espinosa sustained minor injuries.

The crash damaged the big rig’s rear trailer, causing a large number of lemons to spill onto the roadway, closing southbound lanes of Highway 63 for more than an hour. The cause of the collision is under investigation.

This story was originally published January 29, 2018 at 8:57 AM with the headline "Squaw Valley man injured in crash with lemon hauler near Cutler."