Pregnant Woman, 12 Others Hurt in Freeway Crash
Thirteen people, including a pregnant woman and six children, were injured Saturday afternoon when a car skidded out of control on the Hollywood Freeway, causing an eight-vehicle pileup that left freeway lanes blocked and traffic clogged on surface streets for an hour, authorities said.
The accident occurred about 3:20 p.m. on the northbound 101 just south of the Lankershim Boulevard off-ramp. Four fire companies and five ambulances responded.
A woman who was four months pregnant was thrown from the back of a pickup truck that flipped over, city fire spokesman Pat Marek said.
Sonia Rivas, 29, was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was listed in guarded condition, hospital spokesman Ron Wise said.
The 12 other victims, including six children, received minor injuries. Four were taken to hospitals and released. The others were treated at the scene.
The accident was caused by a blown-out tire, California Highway Patrol Officer Robert Bruce said.
“The driver overcorrected and threw on his emergency brakes, causing him to skid out of control,” Bruce said. The car skidded across all lanes of the freeway.
The accident caused traffic to back up on the northbound lanes of the Hollywood Freeway and on nearby surface streets. All northbound lanes and the Lankershim Boulevard off-ramp were closed for an hour and a SigAlert was issued.
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