Meintjes received stitches to an elbow injury, and was due to be reassessed for any delayed signs of concussion before being allowed to continue on Sunday's stage 15 to Lagos de Covadonga.
The race had split on the descent of the Alto de La Mozqueta, and the Dimension Data leader had been riding to make up lost ground on the day's penultimate climb of the Alto de la Falla.
It was descending this mountain that he crashed, when his front wheel "washed out in a high-speed corner", according to his team's website.
"He crashed on a corner and rolled down an embankment," team doctor Jarrad van Zuydam explained.
"He has suffered some injuries, and has a big laceration to the left elbow which required stitches. He has various other lacerations and abrasions which are relatively minor and won't need much more then cleaning and dressing.
"There was obviously some concern when we saw the footage of the crash, because of the way Louis stumbled, and there were concerns of a potential head injury and concussion in particular," said Van Zuydam.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"Louis has been assessed thoroughly and he currently does not show any symptoms of a concussion. He will be reassessed in the morning [Sunday], and if he passes that test, he will undergo an exercise stress test to see if that induces any symptoms before we give any go-ahead for him to race."
Going into Saturday's stage, Meintjes was already well off the pace in 24th place overall, more than eight minutes behind race leader Jesus Herrada (Cofidis).
After battling on after his crash to finish the stage over 16 minutes down on stage 14 winner Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), the 26-year-old fell only a few places to 32nd overall, but is now 22:40 behind new race leader Yates.
Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling. Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell, the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English. The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999, and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling. Since then, major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features, news, results, photos and tech reporting. The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling.
