WESTMINSTER : 1 Critically Hurt in 3-Car Freeway Crash

Morning rush-hour traffic was backed up for about four miles Tuesday following a three-car accident on the San Diego Freeway that left one driver critically injured, the California Highway Patrol said.

Commuters traveling south on the freeway were stopped at Edwards Street, where the 8:15 a.m. accident occurred, to about Seal Beach Boulevard for more than an hour, said CHP officer Joan Rivas.

Northbound lanes also had to be closed for about 20 minutes so a rescue helicopter could land on the freeway.

“We had to close the northbound lanes as well because you have everybody trying to watch and that can cause more accidents,” Rivas said.

Investigators believe that a car with a flat tire parked on the shoulder of the southbound lanes and some scrap sheet metal in the middle of the freeway may have contributed to the accident, Rivas said.

“People were driving on the right shoulder to avoid the metal,” Rivas said. “A freeway service patrol driver had pulled over to tell the driver with the flat tire to move his car when he heard brakes and saw a car going out of control.”

The car was being driven by Diana Pine Gilley, 36, of Garden Grove. Gilley’s car was spinning out of control toward the center divider when it was struck by a car being driven by Juan Zarate, 53, of Hawthorne, Rivas said.

Zarate apparently struck Gilley’s car and caused it to spin and face north. At that point, she was hit head-on by a southbound pickup driven by Kriengkri Chanprakrit, 35, of Van Nuys.

Gilley suffered major head injuries, a broken left arm and broken left leg in the accident. She was airlifted from the freeway to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where she underwent surgery Tuesday afternoon. She was listed in critical condition, hospital officials said.

Chanprakrit complained of chest pains and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. An air bag in Zarate’s car activated upon impact and he was uninjured, Rivas said.

No citations were issued pending completion of an investigation. The CHP is asking that any witnesses to the accident contact Officer Bob Messing at (714) 892-4426.