Collision Kills 5 and Closes I-215 : Fatalities: At least 33 have died statewide during the holiday weekend.

A fiery, multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 215 in Riverside County on Friday left five people dead and pushed the state’s holiday traffic death toll to at least 33.

The accident near the Alessandro Boulevard exit near Moreno Valley occurred about 10 a.m. and involved a big-rig feed truck and nine other vehicles, California Highway Patrol dispatcher Kim Dickinson said. Four people were taken to hospitals, she said, and one was reported in critical condition.

The southbound lanes of Interstate 215 were reopened seven hours after the accident; the northbound lanes about 90 minutes later.

Witnesses said the truck driver, O.D. Martin, 55, of Spring Valley was booked on suspicion of manslaughter and was being held at the Riverside County Jail. He was driving erratically before the accident, Dickinson said. CHP spokeswoman Kathy Cox said that Martin was “traveling at a high rate of speed” and swerved to try to avoid hitting one of the vehicles stopped for a traffic signal, but hit a car and started a chain reaction.

The Riverside County coroner’s office said those killed at the scene were Elbert Story, 47, and Barbara Story, 46, of Nuevo in Riverside County; Thelma DeLeon, 43, of Los Angeles, and a 34-year-old Los Angeles man, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives. Ruby Dunne, 63, of Stockton died after the accident at March Air Force Base Hospital.

The five deaths were not included in CHP’s most recent statewide tally of holiday traffic accidents. According to that tally, 27 people died on state highways and in municipalities between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Friday, three more than during the same period last year.

A 26-year-old South-Central Los Angeles driver died Friday from injuries sustained when his sports car slammed into a tree on an Echo Park street Thursday.

Six deaths have occurred in Los Angeles County, compared to three in 1989. Of the 17 people who died in the CHP’s jurisdiction, 11 were not wearing seat belts, Officer Brent Vial said.

Also during the 36-hour period, 1,079 motorists statewide were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, according to the CHP. Last year, 923 people were arrested during the same period.

In Los Angeles County, there were 291 drunk driving arrests compared to 206 last year. The increases in drunk driving arrests may be because of tougher enforcement, said Vial.

In 1989, 68 traffic deaths were recorded statewide during the Thanksgiving weekend.