Countywide : June Gloom Lives Up to Its Name

That gray, depressing weather pattern that has been around Southern California for weeks and is known as the June Gloom has brought some coastal fog, widespread drizzle and vehicular mayhem.

One car skidded out of control in South County, causing a spectacular freeway crash, involving a big-rig truck and two cars, shutting down the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 for nearly an hour during the early rush. Three people were injured.

Elsewhere, hazardous conditions literally put the brakes on the morning commute.

“The mistiness from all the fog and clouds did slow traffic down a lot worse than normal,” said CHP Officer Angel Johnson. “We had traffic delays of half an hour or more and more accidents than normal.”

The same weather is expected today, with some clearing by the afternoon. But forecasters said temperatures will stay cool, in the mid-60s along the coast and mid-70s inland.

In South County, CHP Officer Terry Rand said the slippery roadway contributed to the multi-vehicle pileup on the I-5 Freeway at La Paz in Laguna Hills at 8 a.m. A motorist traveling south on the La Paz on-ramp to the I-5 lost control of her vehicle and “shot across several lanes” of traffic, Rand said.

The driver, Joan Ferrigno, 53, of Mission Viejo, was pinned inside her car and had to be removed by firefighters after her car hit another car and then was struck by the big-rig, Rand said.

“She spun out of control and ended up facing north as the truck was going south and they hit head-on,” Rand said. “The truck then swerved toward the median concrete wall and another car in the No. 1 lane crashed after it struck the truck’s rear tires and axle.”

Ferrigno and two others were taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo. Ferrigno was in good condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Another motorist, Ana Escobar, 34, of Tustin, and her passenger, Armando Munoz, 20, of Santa Ana, were both treated and released from the hospital.

No one was cited, Rand said.

Harry Woolford, a meteorologist with WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times, said the same low pressure area that caused Thursday’s fog and clouds was expected to return today.

“It was a strong upper level system from the Pacific Ocean, and it helped increase the marine layer, which brought in thick, low fog and drizzle,” Woolford said.