CAMARILLO : Crash Slows Holiday Traffic for 2 Hours

Northbound holiday traffic on the Ventura Freeway slowed to a crawl for more than two hours Friday after a dump truck carrying a load of asphalt crashed with two other vehicles at the bottom of the Conejo Grade near Camarillo, forcing the closure of all lanes but one.

Two people were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries after the 12:11 p.m. accident just south of Camarillo Springs Road, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said. They were treated and released, she said.

The names of the injured and of the other drivers and passengers involved in the accident were not available Friday.

CHP Officer Steven Fricke said the dump truck overturned, spilling its load of broken chunks of asphalt across the two right lanes of the freeway. A Ford van flipped over, ending up on its roof, and a 1988 Plymouth was also damaged, Fricke said.

Traffic was backed up for five miles after the CHP blocked all lanes but one to remove the wreckage and clean up the asphalt. The single lane of traffic was diverted to a shoulder along the center divider, Fricke said. All lanes were reopened about 2:30 p.m., he said.

The cause of the accident was not available Friday.

No other major accidents were reported around the county by late Friday, the first day of the long Fourth of July weekend.

A CHP dispatcher said the traffic flow was normal for the beginning of a holiday weekend.

“It was going to be congested anyway, but closing down all the lanes but the center divider didn’t help,” she said.