Costa Mesa : Traffic Jams Up as Cars Jam Into Each Other

A five-vehicle chain-reaction accident snarled morning rush-hour traffic on the San Diego Freeway Friday morning, causing a 20-mile-long traffic jam.

The tie-up began shortly after 8 a.m., when a truck driven by Stephen A. Maurer, 29, of Stanton crashed into the rear of a car that was stopped in southbound traffic at the Harbor Boulevard off-ramp in Costa Mesa. That car, driven by Sharrill Joy Johnson, 46, of Fountain Valley, hit one in front of her driven by Karen Elizabeth Merritt, 25, of Huntington Beach, as well as the car in the lane beside her, which was driven by Mary Ann Jasen, 45, of Fountain Valley. Merritt’s car then struck one in front of it, driven by James Michael Grace, 35, of Seal Beach, the California Highway Patrol said.

No one was seriously injuried in the accident, the CHP said. Merritt and Johnson received minor injuries and were taken to Fountain Valley Medical Center. They were released a few hours later.

According to CHP spokesman Matt Clark, the accident blocked all lanes at one point, causing traffic to back up as far as the 7th Street exit in Long Beach.