Car crash near Porterville injures pedestrian

A man driving near Porterville crashed his car into a parked vehicle, which smashed into a pedestrian on the side of the road on Friday, the California Highway Patrol said.

Benjamin Hagans, 81, of Exeter, was driving his Oldsmobile north on Road 208 near Avenue 56 just before 1 p.m. when, for unknown reasons, he made an unsafe turning motion that caused his car to collide with the parked GMC Sonoma on the opposite side of the road, the CHP said.

The unoccupied Sonoma was forced off the road, where it collided with Fernando Ballardo Rios, 51, of Porterville, who was thrown to the dirt shoulder. Rios suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Sierra View District Hospital.

Hagans sustained only minor injuries and did not seek additional medical attention, CHP said. Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor in the crash.

This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 7:46 PM with the headline "Car crash near Porterville injures pedestrian."