Series of Crashes on Golden State Freeway Kill 1, Hurt 9

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

The 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.

Although precise details of the accident were not immediately available, a van that slid and rolled over may have started a chain reaction, said Gladys Lamoreaux, who was driving one of three big rigs involved in the collisions.

Two tractor-trailer trucks and several other vehicles collided several hundred feet behind the van, and a car and another big rig collided about a quarter of a mile south while slowing for traffic.

A female passenger believed to be in her mid-30s died at the scene after she was 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. The woman’s name was being withheld by authorities until her family is notified.

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

About two-tenths of an inch of rain fell in parts of northern Los Angeles County, according to 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. All lanes were reopened by 7:45 p.m.