Two seriously injured in SUV rollover crash in Point Loma Heights

Two people were hospitalized with serious injuries suffered in a solo-vehicle rollover crash in Point Loma Heights, police said.

The crash happened around 11:10 p.m. April 18 on Nimitz Boulevard near Voltaire Street, San Diego police Officer John Buttle said.

A 17-year-old girl was driving a 1999 Ford Explorer SUV north in the left lane when a passenger grabbed the steering wheel and moved it back and forth, Buttle said. The driver was startled and turned the steering wheel hard to the right, causing the SUV to cross into the right lane and hit a bridge abutment under Voltaire Street.

The SUV then flipped, ejecting the front-seat passenger, and came to rest on its roof, Buttle said.

The driver and the front-seat passenger were taken to a hospital for treatment of broken bones, which were not believed to be life-threatening, Buttle said. No details about the front-seat passenger were immediately available.

Two other passengers in the SUV ran off before police and paramedics arrived, Buttle said.