A three vehicle collision Tuesday morning at Lathrop Road and Cottage Avenue destroyed a ‘90s Buick and sent its 38-year-old Manteca driver to jail on DUI charges.
Sonja Morris, 38, was trapped in her car after crashing at 10:45 a.m. into the rear of a northbound 2014 Ford commercial utility truck stopped at a stop sign at Lathrop Road.  The driver of the truck, Lance Joyce, of Newman went to her aid. Using his bare hands, he  bent open the top half of the car door and pulled her to safety.  Joyce said he feared the car might catch on fire.  His truck had been shoved forward into the rear of a ‘90s Acura that had also been waiting for oncoming traffic at the T-intersection.
An older woman in that car was examined by medics at the scene. She refused any medical treatment.
Morris was not visibly injured and had the benefit of her airbags that activated. She was placed in a patio chair in the shade of a tree awaiting the arrival of the highway patrol and other emergency responders who feared the worse when they caught sight of her car.
The other two motorists complained of minor pain but turned away ambulance medics arriving at the scene where traffic was blocked for over an hour.  The truck was owned by West Coast Cryogenic Services of Tracy.

To contact Glenn Kahl email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.