A Wednesday evening head-on collision in rural El Dorado County has left one man dead and two other people injured. The California car accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. on Mt. Aukum Road to the south of Paradise Ranch Road. The California Highway Patrol believes one of the cars may not have had its headlights on at the time of the head-on car crash.

Police say a southbound car crossed the center line of Mt. Aukum Road and collided with an oncoming pickup. The driver of the passenger car, who is reportedly from Roseville, was killed in the head-on collision. A passenger in the car sustained severe injuries.

Emergency crews called in a helicopter to airlift the passenger to the hospital after the crash. Authorities say the driver of the pickup truck suffered injuries characterized as non-life-threatening in the accident. That driver was also hospitalized after the El Dorado County accident.

Details about the accident remain sketchy. It remains unclear from a story in the Sacramento Bee whether any of the people involved in the accident were wearing safety restraints when the vehicles collided. Head-on collisions involve tremendous forces that can leave accident victims with a wide variety of injuries.

A preliminary investigation reveals that the car may not have had its headlights illuminated when it crossed into the oncoming lane. The car accident remains under investigation and further details may provide a more complete picture of the events surrounding the accident.

Even with modern safety equipment in vehicles, a head-on collision can obviously result in death. Head-on accident victims can also suffer head injuries, broken bones, serious internal injuries and countless other wounds requiring medical attention.

Source: Sacramento Bee, "Driver killed, two others hurt in head-on crash in El Dorado County," Jan 6, 2012