84-year-old man critically injured in Mendocino County crash

An 84-year-old man remained hospitalized Sunday in an intensive care unit after his car flipped on a road near the Mendocino County coast, authorities said.

The man was rounding a turn on Comptche Road in a Honda Civic just before 1:15 p.m. Saturday when the car went off the south shoulder a few miles east of Highway 1, California Highway Patrol-Ukiah Sgt. Matt Werle said Sunday.

The driver over-corrected and turned across the road and the vehicle flipped onto the roof, coming to a rest on the north shoulder.

It was drizzling and the road was slick, Werle said.

The man, who wasn’t able to talk, was taken to Adventist Health Mendocino Coast hospital in Fort Bragg. After the weather cleared Saturday night, first responders flew him to the Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he remains Sunday.

Based on preliminary information, investigators determined the car’s speed was a factor in the crash, and drugs and alcohol were not, Werle said.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.