Three-year-old air-lifted to hospital after Vista car accident

VISTA (CNS) – A 3-year-old Escondido girl was hospitalized Tuesday with major injuries to her face following a pair of crashes in Vista that also left her 7-year-old sister slightly injured, authorities said.

The girls were riding in a 2003 Ford Expedition driven by their 35-year-old mother when the accident occurred at the intersection of Avocado and Hannalei drives shortly before 6:15 p.m. Monday, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Bettencourt.

The family was headed east on Hannalei Drive when their vehicle entered the intersection and was struck on its right side by a 2008 Jeep Laredo headed north on Avocado Drive, Bettencourt said in a statement.

The impact of the initial collision sent the Ford into a 2001 Honda Civic that was stopped for a stop sign on westbound Hannalei Drive, Bettencourt said.

Paramedics took the 3-year-old to Rady Children’s Hospital to treat major — but not life-threatening — injuries to her face, Bettencourt said, adding that her mother was not injured and her older sister’s injuries were minor.

Also uninjured were the 37-year-old Vista woman who was driving the Jeep and her two young passengers, ages 4 and 6.

A 23-year-old Vista woman who was driving the Honda suffered injuries to her right arm and a passenger in her car complained of pain but neither needed to be transported to the hospital right away, Bettencourt said.

The cause of the crash was under investigation. Bettencourt said neither drugs nor alcohol use were suspected factors.