The accident occurred shortly after 11 a.m., when a 70-year-old man lost control of his westbound Ford F-150 for unknown reasons in the area of Fenton Parkway, according to San Diego police.

The pickup truck veered across the roadway and struck an oncoming Dodge Stratus driven by a 25-year-old man, SDPD Officer Frank Cali said.

Firefighters had to free both motorists from their crumpled vehicles. Medics then took them to a hospital, where the older man was treated for fractures in his ribs and several hand, foot and thigh bones. The younger man received emergency care for breaks in both femurs, Cali said.

Traffic remained heavily congested in the area until while emergency crews tended to the injured drivers and cleaned up the street. A traffic alert was in effect for the stretch until shortly after 1:30 p.m.