The Antelope Valley Times

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High winds cause crash, unlicensed driver cited

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High winds forced this SUV off the road and into a side wall at the Cinemark 12 Movie Theater on Valley Central Way and Lancaster Boulevard, its driver claims. The driver suffered minor injuries and was cited for being an unlicensed driver, and no other injuries were reported.
High winds forced this SUV off the road and into a side wall at the Cinemark 12 Movie Theater on Valley Central Way and Lancaster Boulevard Saturday afternoon, its driver claims. The driver suffered minor injuries and was cited for being an unlicensed driver, and no other injuries were reported.

LANCASTER – Strong gusty winds whipped across the Antelope Valley Saturday causing problems for drivers. In one incident, an SUV jumped the sidewalk and plowed into the side of a Cinemark Movie Theater.

The 19-year-old unlicensed driver blamed the crash on high winds, authorities said.

The single-vehicle collision happened around 5:05 p.m. on Valley Central Way and Lancaster Boulevard, according to Deputy Moreno of the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station.

“The young man was driving eastbound on Lancaster Boulevard in the No. 2 lane, and he’s saying he lost control of the vehicle due to the winds,” Moreno said, adding that the vehicle jumped the corner curb on Lancaster Boulevard and Valley Central Way.

High winds crash 2“It went through the bushes and then hit the west side wall of the movie theater,” Moreno said.

A trash compactor along the west side wall kept the vehicle from crashing full on into the movie theater.

The driver, 19-year-old Gabriel Jackson, complained of pain to his back, legs, left arm and chest, and he was transported to the hospital, Moreno said.

Jackson was also cited for being an unlicensed driver, Moreno added.

A wave cloud developed over the Antelope Valley Saturday, which helped to drive strong and gusty winds to high wind warning levels, according to the National Weather Service.

“Palmdale airport reported a peak wind gust of 64 mph with sustained winds of 53 mph at 6:43 p.m.,” according to a weather advisory.

Gusty winds should continue in the Antelope Valley through Sunday evening, the National Weather Service stated.

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Filed Under: Lancaster

42 comments for "High winds cause crash, unlicensed driver cited"

  2. Wow you people are so judgemental. Gabe we know what happened everyone on here are casting stones because their lives are perfect. Truth be told he is a high school graduate and is very smart he obviously got scared after the car hit the curb. And there was insurance assumptions are typical stereotyping. Get a life and let the young man heal without your negative comments. Those without sin shall cast the first stone. Love you Gabe and you dont have to explain yourself to these perfect people who have nothing better to do than judge you.

    • coco—Well he didn’t use his smarts, driving without a license. Driving is a privilege not a right. No one was killed this time! It isn’t just all about you Gabe! Step out of yourself and think of others. It is also disrespectful to use ugly swear words towards others. Obey the law and be respectful. It makes it much nicer living in this world.

      • Yea bird like the bible says those without sin shall cast stones no he should not have drove, but you dont know him or whats going on in his life. So dont judge him

        • Coco…it’s completely irrelevant what’s going on in his life. I don’t have to ‘know’ somebody to realize they made a bonehead decision and broke the law all at one time. It’s a perfectly normal assumption that if he didn’t have a license he wouldn’t need insurance for a vehicle he can’t legally drive. Thats not stereotyping, that’s called deductive reasoning.

        • Hey, coco

          If we are with sin, is it OK to cast other things such as eggs, water balloons, spears, watermelons, dolls that look like Pat Robertson, dog doo, etc.?

    • @coco
      How funny of you to say “Wow you people are so judgemental” because you just ‘judged’ them in doing so.

      You ‘judged’ them for being ‘judgemental’.

      Don’t you see the irony in that?

      How come you get to be the one ‘judging’ but no one else?

  3. 19 years old and unlicensed? Unlicensed because or he lost it before or just never had one?

  5. Obviously someone needs to learn how to drive. I’m pretty sure a “gust of wind” won’t cause you to drive through bushes and slam into a wall. What an idiot, lol.

  9. I can understand a mistake. So if you make a mistake, accept, own it. Do not blame the wind! SMH

  10. It could of been the winds. We were driving on the 14 pass Ave M yesterday, going a little over 55 when a gust of winds pushed my van into the next lane. Luckily no one was in the lane.

  13. I agree we get strong winds all the time in mojave n not to many sidewalk jumpers over here. Think the wind is jus his excuse.

  14. I sure hope he was drug tested! Blame the winds! If your driving at normal speed I’m sure it wouldn’t of cause that to happend! Maybe he was driving fast!

        • No one with common since would drive unlicensed, but an idiot would blame someone or in this case something (the wind) for their mistake. Just glad no one was hurt because of someones immaturity.

        • Driving without a license is not a mistake. A DL is suppose to at least demonstrate that the person understand the basics.

          Please explain why the driver didn’t have a license? This would also mean the driver didn’t have insurance most likely.

          I am trying to imagine how winds coming from the south/west would cause a driver to jump a divider, cross 2 lanes of traffic and another curb, through some bushes to end up imbedded in the side of a building.

          • You’re right, it’s no a mistake. IT’S ILEGAL!

            Oy, only a putz would call criminal acts “a mistake.”

      • It was what I said it was if you want to interview me I would be more then happy to meet up with you

        • Lol this guy is really pissing me off! Some 19 year old kid without a driving license probably driving like a idiot and more than likely texting wrecks into a building! I drive a full size pickup and have drove in way worse wind than everything we had yesterday and I have never been pushed around enough to run through a building!get a license dude! With out one on just going to assume you do not understand any laws or ways of the road! Your lucky you messing around didn’t kill someone! And then you come on here and act like a little punk! Ypur also lucky I didn’t see this crash I would have pulled your little butt out of the car and tought you a lesson!

          • I’ve seen 18 year old kids, with minimal driving experience, handle a 3-wheeled Humvee that just hit an IED without crashing like that…

        • How did the wind cause you to do all that? That’s a lot of damage from a gust of wind kid..

          • The wind caused me to swerve and hit the curve…..when I hit the curve I was knocked out …..the rest is history. ..lil men do have big talk over the web……personal intetviews anybody? ??….if not then shut your face

          • I am just glad this unlicensed, uninsured 19 year old didn’t injure or kill a pedestrian or hit another driver causing injury or death…perhaps this person should be thanking God they only hit a wall. Doubt very much the wind caused this incident, but I am sure the Sheriff’s department will investigate since he hit a building that is insured. The property’s insurance company will call for an investigation before paying for the damage to be repaired. Perhaps they will sue him for payment of damages. And I will interview him because I have a lot of questions.

          • i drove by i do not know how it happened. didn’t see it happen.only seen the wreck. the SUV had to be going at high speed to go over the curb thru the bushes and slam into the wall.and push the front end in as far as it did. it hit very hard. no skid marks in the street. i was thinking maybe the gas pedal stuck wide open.or something else not the wind. its hard for me to believe the wind caused that.

          • don’t trio—You sound like such a pleasant young man; I’m being facetious. I can tell by the way you talk that you were up to no good, when you crashed that car. You’ll end up paying the consequences for more than just crashing that car.