Santa Maria man suffered major injuries Thursday when he was run over by a truck in a tunnel beneath Highway 101 in Nipomo, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The accident happened shortly after noon when Cody Charles Reynolds, 29, was lying on a concrete surface in a tunnel where Cherry Blossom Place passes under the freeway, the CHP said.

The incident occurred as Orel Glen L. Canfield, 66, of Nipomo was headed east through the 12-foot-wide tunnel in a Ford F-550 at about 20 mph, the CHP said.

Canfield told officers he didn’t see anything in the tunnel, but felt as though his rear wheel had run over something.

He did not stop, but later came back to the scene and saw a backpack and heard someone yelling, the CHP said.

Meanwhile, Reynolds had crawled up an embankment to southbound Highway 101 and waved for help.

Reynolds was seriously injured and was taken to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria.

Canfield was determined not to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the CHP said.

Investigators were still trying to determine if Reynolds was under the influence.

The CHP did not offer a reason why Reynolds was lying in the tunnel.

— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.