Woman Killed, 9 Hurt in Chain of Accidents

A woman died and nine others were injured Friday in a series of collisions on a rain-slicked portion of the Golden State Freeway, leaving northbound commuter traffic backed up for hours.

The series of accidents, involving 11 vehicles, started about 3:20 p.m., just south of the Vista Del Lago exit, authorities said. The cause remained under investigation Friday evening, but police and witnesses said slick roads may have caused three closely grouped collisions.

“It just started to rain for a few minutes and then, boom, all of a sudden there was a big accident,” said Raymond Acosta, one of several motorists who provided first aid to victims at the remote location--about 20 miles north of Santa Clarita--until authorities arrived.

Precise details of the accident were still being pieced together Friday night, California Highway Patrol officers said.

A van that slid and rolled over may have started a chain reaction with the vehicles behind it, said Gladys Lamoreaux, who was driving one of three trailer-trucks involved in the collisions. Two big rigs and several other vehicles collided several hundred feet behind the van, and a car and another trailer-truck collided about a quarter of a mile south while slowing for other traffic.

A female passenger believed to be in her mid-30s died at the scene after being thrown through the windshield of a maroon Nissan Maxima sandwiched between several other vehicles, authorities said. Motorists who administered first aid said she was briefly conscious.

“We had her stabilized and got her airway clear, and then we moved down to the next person,” said Brent Ward, an emergency-trained flight attendant who stopped to help. “The next thing we knew she was gone.”

The woman’s name was being withheld by authorities until her family is notified.

Another woman in the rear seat of the Nissan was airlifted to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia with head wounds, said Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. John Everett. The driver of the Nissan and seven occupants in other cars were also hospitalized with minor to severe injuries.

Motorists said the sudden afternoon rainstorm was heavy. The rain made the freeway hazardous after a long dry spell because of oil and other residue on the road, authorities said.

The storm dropped about two-tenths of an inch of rain in parts of northern Los Angeles County and up to half an inch of moisture in Ventura County, said Ivory Small, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Both sides of the freeway were closed while patients were airlifted by helicopter. The northbound lanes remained closed until 4:45 p.m., when the right shoulder and one lane were reopened. All lanes were reopened by 7:45 p.m.

The closure caused an hours-long traffic jam, with many motorists standing outside of their cars as they waited for the freeway to reopen.