PORTERSVILLE — A 19-year-old man was found Tuesday night lying on the southbound lane of Route 19 with a head injury, authorities said.

Potential witnesses and bystanders about 8:45 p.m. met rescuers at the possible crime scene. Some hinted at what happened. “They said (the man) was pushed out or thrown out of a vehicle,” said Brooke Seifert, assistant chief for the Portersville-Muddy Creek Township Volunteer Fire Department.

State police criminal investigators are trying to solve the puzzle. But they’re not saying much. “We don’t have all the details,” Cpl. Robert Donaldson said this morning.

“He had a closed head injury and a contusion on the back of his head,” Seifert said. Rescuers characterized the injuries as “moderate.”

He was flown by medical helicopter to Allegheny General Hospital.