Alpine

An elderly couple spent more than 22 hours in a ditch near Interstate 8 after their car went over the edge of the freeway and tumbled down a 30-foot incline near Alpine, authorities said.

Harry Stern and his wife, Martha, both 72, were flown to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where they were treated for cuts and scrapes.

Stern told officials that a truck slammed into the rear of a trailer his car was pulling west about 4 p.m. Tuesday, sending the car and trailer over the edge of the freeway.

The Tucson couple, who were vacationing in San Diego, spent a night in the ditch and were discovered by a California Highway Patrol officer at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday.