Man, 81, in critical condition after crash near Red Rock Canyon

An 81-year-old Las Vegas man was seriously injured Sunday afternoon when he was ejected from his pickup truck after it struck another vehicle on West Charleston Boulevard west of the 215 Beltway, Las Vegas police said.

Stanley Betts was taken to University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, and is in critical condition, Metro Lt. Jeff Goodwin said.

The crash was called in at 2:15 p.m., after Betts, who was driving a 2004 Toyota Tundra, tried to merge from a private drive west of Sky Vista Drive onto West Charleston Boulevard and collided with a westbound 1997 Chevrolet Suburban driven by Rogelio Mendoza-Zarco, 60, of Las Vegas.

Mendoza-Zarco and the Suburban’s four other occupants, including a 5-year-old girl, were taken to UMC with minor injuries.

Part of West Charleston near the crash site was closed for several hours Sunday as investigators combed the scene.

Metro’s fatal detail is investigating the crash.