Truck flips over on I-15 near downtown Las Vegas, crushing car

The driver of a car that slammed into a box truck Monday on Interstate 15, causing the truck to flip over onto the vehicle, is “lucky to be alive,” Nevada Highway Patrol spokeswoman Ashlee Wellman said.

Rescuers were called to the scene of the crash on southbound I-15 near Sahara Avenue around 2 p.m., dispatch records show.

Wellman said a Honda passenger car had hit the back of the box truck while changing lanes, causing the truck to flip over. The wreck left the driver of the Honda pinned in his seat, the steering wheel pressed against his chest.

The Las Vegas Fire Department extricated him from the vehicle, she said.

Wellman said the man was alert and responsive during the rescue and able to walk once he had been freed from the car. Fire crews told Wellman he was lucky to be alive.

The man was taken to University Medical Center, where he was treated for minor cuts and bruises, but Wellman said he had no critical injuries.

The driver of the box truck was not injured, but the truck’s passenger was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Wellman said. Impairment was not suspected in the crash.

Traffic was delayed on I-15 for some time but by Monday evening, the crash scene had been cleared.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.