A man and woman both fell from a moving car onto South Carson Street on Saturday morning. Neither were seriously injured. Their unoccupied car barely missed the IHOP restaurant.
According to rescue workers on the scene, an older sedan pulled out of the Casino Fandango parking lot at about 10 a.m. heading south on Carson Street. Another vehicle cut the sedan off, forcing the driver to slam on the brakes and swerve. As the car turned the driver's door came unlatched and he rolled out of the car into the northbound lane.
He was not wearing a seat belt, according to Carson City Fire Department acting Battalion Chief Phil Hernandez.
A female passenger was left in the driverless car, which headed toward the International House of Pancakes. The woman somehow ended up in the southbound lanes of Carson Street. It's unclear whether she jumped or fell from the car.
The sedan rolled about 100 yards east down Eagle Station Road, just missing the IHOP at 3883 S. Carson St. The vehicle came to a rest in bushes at the restaurant.
Witnesses said the man was hit by vehicles on Carson Street.
"We did have witnesses who said he had been run over, however, he did not have the type of injures you would expect from someone who had been run over," Hernandez said.
A Care Flight rescue helicopter was requested for the man, though he told rescue workers he was all right. After he was examined by doctors at Carson-Tahoe Hospital, the helicopter was canceled, rescue workers said.
The woman complained of pain in her left leg. Paramedics said she had a sprained ankle. Both the man and the woman, whose names were not released, suffered from abrasions and scratches.
It's unclear how the vehicle ended up going down Eagle Station Road.
"It would just be speculation to say how the vehicle went from a southbound to an eastbound direction," Hernandez said.
The sedan was not badly damaged.
"The vehicle could be driven - it did not sustain any major damage," Hernandez said. "It just rolled down the hill at an idle and came to a rest in the bushes at the IHOP."
It's unclear if alcohol was a factor in the accident. The Nevada Highway Patrol, which is handling the investigation, could not be reached for comment.
Contact Karl Horeis at khoreis@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.
