LOCAL : Golden State Fwy. Snarled by Car-Truck Accident in Newhall

One person was injured and southbound traffic on the Golden State Freeway backed up four miles this morning in Newhall when a car slid underneath a big rig trailer and then crashed into another truck, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The 8 a.m. accident just south of Calgrove Boulevard forced the closure of three lanes for about an hour, CHP Officer A. J. Torres said.

The CHP said Michelle LeClair of Valencia was driving south on the freeway at a high speed when she swerved to her right to avoid a slower-moving car in her lane. LeClair’s convertible Ford Mustang crossed one lane and then went underneath the trailer of a tractor-trailer rig driven by Ron Read, 38, of Diamond Bar.

“She went completely under the trailer and through and then hit a truck that was next to it,” Torres said.

The second tractor-trailer rig was driven by Willie Mann, 57, of Ontario. The Mustang rebounded from the collision and partially went back underneath the trailer driven by Read, the CHP said.

The Mustang was dragged underneath the trailer, which was carrying a load of frozen pies, about 100 feet before it came to a stop. LeClair was trapped in the wreckage for about 20 minutes before being removed by Los Angeles County firefighters and taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries.

The accident closed the southbound freeway to one lane for nearly an hour. Torres said traffic backed up to McBean Parkway before two lanes were reopened about 9 a.m. The fourth lane was opened about 10 a.m.