At least one person was extricated from their car with the jaws of life following a head-on collision in Spring Valley.
At least two vehicles were involved in a head-on crash on Jamacha Boulevard in Spring Valley Monday, according to officials.
The two vehicles collided near the intersection of Jamacha Boulevard and Kempton Street just before 10 a.m. when a woman, 29, driving a sedan drifted into oncoming traffic for unknown reasons, according to California Highway Patrol officer Travis Garrow.
Inside the sedan was also a five-year-old in a car seat, Garrow said.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Kyle Fischer was at home when he heard the crash.
"All I hear is a big boom. So I look outside, I see two cars destroyed," Fischer said.
The sedan struck an SUV heading westbound on Jamacha Boulevard. Inside were two men -- a 46-year-old driver from Descanso and a 37-year-old passenger from Spring Valley, Garrow said.
The two crashed and the SUV was pushed into an empty vehicle parked along the four-lane roadway, CHP said.
At least one person was trapped inside one of the wrecked vehicles, according to San Miguel Fire-Rescue. Crews spent about 30 minutes working to free the trapped individual.
All passengers were injured in the crash, Garrow said. Those inside the SUV were taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital with moderate injuries while the woman in the sedan sustained major injuries and was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital. The 5-year-old was taken to Rady Children's Hospital with moderate injuries.
At the scene, an SUV and a blue sedan were mangled, with pieces of debris scattered across both sides of Jamacha Boulevard, a main thoroughfare also known as state Route 54.
Local
"When you walk up to it, the first thing you think is this is going to be really, really bad," according to Garrow. But, the crash could have had a much worse result if any of the four passengers weren't restrained.
"We’re definitely glad nobody died. Seatbelts, car seats -- those things will all save your life," Garrow said. "This is an example of somebody surviving because they had their seatbelts on."
Firefighters and law enforcement individuals were on scene through 11 a.m. to investigate the crash. The cause was not yet known but it did not appear drugs or alcohol were a factor, Garrow said.
During the investigation, Jamacha Boulevard was closed between Kempton Street and Gillespie Drive. Lanes were reopened by noon.
Sign up for our Breaking news newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
