Fog Brings Danger on Roads, Delays Flights : Transportation: Haze fails to deter beach-goers and surfers. Poor visibility hinders airport traffic.

A dense fog that shrouded much of Southern California on Wednesday morning caused at least one traffic accident in Baldwin Hills and grounded planes from Los Angeles to Long Beach. But it failed to deter beach-goers who took their new surfboards and wet suits for a post-Christmas ride on the waves despite the haze.

Visibility was about 100 feet when a car traveling on La Cienega Boulevard jumped the center divider at about 5:20 a.m., crashed into a guard rail near Stocker Street and was hit by two other vehicles, said California Highway Patrol Officer Tad Yamashita.

None of the motorists was seriously injured.

“I’m pretty sure the fog was a major factor in this one,” said Yamashita. “He was traveling southbound in the fog and apparently didn’t see the divider that divides the northbound and southbound lanes.”

Alonz Bates, 55, of Los Angeles, was driving the car that crashed into the divider. His car was struck by a dump truck and another car when it bounced back into the traffic lanes. Bates and the truck driver, Felipe Govarrubias, 29, of El Monte, were treated for minor injuries at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood and released. Sharon Joseph, 43, who was driving the second car, was not hurt.

The fog proved to be less hazardous, but just as hindering, to many travelers headed home after the holidays, as planes remained on the ground until visibility improved.

“A majority of (flights) did not take off or land for several hours,” said Los Angeles International Airport spokeswoman Nancy Niles. She said planes were delayed starting at about 3 a.m. Incoming flights were diverted to Ontario International Airport until as late as 8 a.m., when weather officials estimated visibility at Los Angeles airport was less than a quarter of a mile.

Long Beach Airport reported similar delays during the early morning hours.

But the fog did not stop surfers, eager to put their Christmas presents to the test off the California coastline.

“We have quite a few people,” said Mike Cunningham, senior ocean lifeguard for the county lifeguard’s southern section, which stretches from Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro to Marina del Rey. “Everybody is trying out their new surfboards, wet suits and bodyboards.”

But the fog, which at one point diminished visibility to as little as 100 yards, posed a danger for those careening through the five-foot waves.

“We’ve got fairly strong surf and a lot of surfers are out,” Cunningham said. “That sometimes presents some problems for them. Sometimes they hear the sets (of waves) coming before they see them through the fog.”

However, Cunningham added, there were no rescues or injuries attributed to the fog.

Fresh air from the Pacific is expected to blow in over the next two days, relieving the stagnant conditions that have caused fog and increased air pollution throughout California, according to WeatherData Inc. which provides forecasts for The Times.

Forecasters called for partly cloudy skies today with cooler temperatures and even a chance of local drizzle or sprinkles in some areas.

Wednesday’s Civic Center high reached 67 degrees. The high today is expected to be in the low 60s.

Times staff writer James Rainey contributed to this story.