San Diego

Unsafe road conditions caused by Thursday’s heavy rain led to several major collisions on Interstate 805 north at Murray Ridge Road. One person was killed and 11 others were injured in the accidents, which involved 13 cars.

Howard Charles Priest, 23, of Santee, was killed on impact when his pickup truck, which was traveling north on I-805, rammed into a Hartson ambulance parked in the center divider. The ambulance had arrived moments earlier to assist the victims of three separate collisions that occurred on the freeway’s southbound lanes.

“It was an unusual incident,” said Alicia Contreras of the California Highway Patrol. “It wasn’t one collision involving 13 cars, it was four separate accidents all occurring minutes apart.”

Contreras said the first crash happened about 10:10 p.m. and involved four vehicles. She said a second collision with four vehicles came moments later and was followed by a third collision involving three vehicles.

The Hartson ambulance pulled up about 10 minutes after the third accident, she said.

“We’re not exactly sure what started the collisions,” Contreras said. “With the rain and unsafe speed for conditions, some of the drivers couldn’t stop in time when the cars in front of them put on their brakes.”

The first collision occurred when Dennis J. Smith of El Cajon hit a car ahead of him that had stopped, Contreras said.

The accidents are still under investigation, but Contreras said Smith was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.