CONEJO GRADE : 3 Motorists Hurt in Chain-Reaction Crash

Three motorists were injured Tuesday morning when a dozen cars smashed into each other when fog reduced visibility on the Conejo Grade, authorities reported.

The chain-reaction crash occurred at 7 a.m. during heavy rush-hour traffic on the Ventura Freeway’s southbound lanes, Officer Staci Morse of the California Highway Patrol said.

Injured were Richard Dixon, 38, of Camarillo; Teresa Wetzel, 34, of Simi Valley, and Cleo Anderson, 36, of Oxnard. The three were taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, where they were treated for various injuries and released, a nursing supervisor said.

Ventura Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Brown was driving up the grade when he was caught in the accident.

“The fog was burning off at the crest of the hill and the sun--magnified by the particles of moisture--was very, very bright,” Brown said. “When we hit that, we were completely blinded.”

Brown said he pulled into the emergency lane after observing the first accident, but his car still was slightly clipped.

The chain reaction started when Dixon observed stopped traffic ahead and slowed his car, Morse said. Wetzel’s car then struck Dixon’s from behind, setting off a series of collisions.

Morse said unsafe speed was to blame for the accidents, which blocked the freeway for 90 minutes. “The driver has to realize during fog or rain to adjust his speed with the conditions,” Morse said.