Man's arm severed after vehicle goes off I-5, then down embankment near Westley

A man's arm was severed and a pregnant woman was air lifted from the scene after their vehicle went off Interstate 5 near Westley early Saturday evening and down an embankment before crashing into an orchard.

The yellow Chevrolet Aveo was traveling northbound on I-5 just north of the Howard Road exit when it went off the freeway and down an embankment, according to California Highway Patrol Officer D. Harper. Witnesses reported that the car went into the center divider in an apparent attempt to pass traffic and then lost control returning to the roadway, he said.

The Aveo veered back across all the northbound lanes, then went down a 50-60 foot embankment. The vehicle rolled several times, went through a barbed wire fence and into an almond orchard, Harper said, coming to rest about 150 feet inside the orchard. It was unclear who was driving the Aveo, he said.

The man's arm was severed completely in the crash and Harper said the 29-year-old from Bakersfield was taken by ambulance to a Modesto hospital.

The 27-year-old woman, reportedly from San Lorenzo, suffered a laceration to her forehead and was flown by helicopter to a Modesto hospital as a precaution because she is pregnant, he said; it was unclear how many months she is into her pregnancy.

The CHP and the West Stanislaus County Fire Protection District responded to the scene after the 5:40 p.m. call. No other vehicles appeared to have been involved in the accident, according to fire department Capt. Dave Allan.

This story was originally published September 9, 2017 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Man's arm severed after vehicle goes off I-5, then down embankment near Westley."