California IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Soured Drug Deal Blamed for 7 Injuries

Police believe a drug deal turned sour caused a seven-car accident that injured seven people and stopped traffic on San Francisco’s Market Street for more than an hour. The chain of accidents Friday morning began when a man allegedly tried to buy crack cocaine from another, according to police. The first man told police the deal broke down but that as he drove away, the other grabbed his pickup truck. The man held fast to the side of the truck as the vehicle sped at 50 m.p.h. up the wrong side of Market Street and hit an oncoming station wagon, police said. The impact dislodged the man, who underwent surgery at Mission Emergency Hospital for head and face injuries. The collision also caused the pickup truck to flip onto its side and slide into five other vehicles before coming to a stop. The driver of the truck was not hurt but was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of narcotics and willfully driving on the wrong side of the street. Six other people were treated for minor injuries at a hospital and released.