Crash Injures 3, Closes Part of Freeway

Three people were injured and the eastbound Foothill Freeway was closed for seven hours Tuesday when a Greyhound bus struck a tanker that had moments earlier rear-ended a truck just south of the Simi Valley Freeway in Lake View Terrace.

“It’s pretty miraculous and really lucky that more people weren’t injured,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Fred Oakes, who was at the scene. “The driver of the bus did a good job of getting the bus past the accident and the driver of the tanker just had luck on his side. . . .”

The driver of the soap-filled tanker was traveling east on the freeway at 4:20 a.m. when he heard a popping sound and lost control of his steering just east of Paxton Street, CHP Officer Esmeralda Leos said. The tanker veered right and rear-ended a tractor-trailer truck, which had run out of gas and was parked legally on the freeway’s shoulder, she said.

The crash sent the tanker across all four lanes of traffic, where it was struck broadside by an approaching Greyhound bus carrying 46 passengers, Leos said. The bus went through the center divider and continued for several feet before it stopped, Leos said.

Both trucks burst into flames and were heavily damaged, said Joel Harrison, a county fire inspector. David Cheatham, the driver of the parked truck, was struck by the tanker as he walked away from his rig, CHP Officer Ed Jones said.

Cheatham, 58, of Stevenson, was taken to Holy Cross Hospital where he was listed in critical condition with crushed feet, a fractured right arm and a separated shoulder, nursing supervisor Gail Sullivan said. The driver of the tanker, Sergeant Agris, was treated and released from Holy Cross Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Jane Cessar said.

Angela Salizar, a bus driver who is seven months pregnant, was taken to Pacifica of the Valley Hospital where she was treated and released in good condition, hospital spokeswoman Rita Gaudioso said. Another male bus passenger complained of pain but was not treated at a hospital, Leos said.

The early morning accident kept eastbound traffic on the Foothill Freeway closed until shortly after 11:30 a.m., seven hours after the accident, said Russell Snyder, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation. The bus passengers waited an hour on the freeway center divider for another bus, Jones said.