A man is in critical condition after his vehicle struck a tree heading eastbound on Central Expressway just outside of Mountain View Tuesday morning.

Police received multiple 911 calls just before 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, reporting that a car struck a tree in the median between Bernardo and Mary avenues, according to Mountain View police. When officers arrived, the man was trapped in the driver's seat and had to be extricated from the vehicle, described as a black, four-door 2008 Mazda 6.

Lanes were closed in both directions during the investigation throughout the morning, and were reopened at 1:40 p.m.

Ray Shackelford, a San Jose resident, said he was driving along Central after dropping family members off at the airport, and came upon the scene of the crash moments before first responders arrived. He said the car must have been going fast, because it appeared to have hit the curb and smashed into a tree sideways. He described the car as obliterated and said the front axle was resting about 25 to 30 feet in front of the rest of the car.

Clothes and other belongings inside the car were scattered all over both directions of the expressway, Shackelford said.

The car's driver was taken to a local hospital, where he was in critical condition on Tuesday, police said. Lanes were closed in both directions while police investigate the crash, and didn't reopen until 1:30 p.m.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident to call traffic officer Lloyd Curns at 650-903-6762 and refer to case number 15-4718.