6-Car Accident Injures 4, Backs Up Holiday Traffic on Ventura Freeway
A chain-reaction accident Sunday on the Ventura Freeway, just west of the Victoria Avenue exit, damaged six cars and slowed traffic on a road clogged with holiday travelers.
Four people were treated for minor injuries, mostly complaints of neck pain, said Traffic Officer Curt Rhyne with the California Highway Patrol.
The accident occurred at 4:50 p.m. as holiday-weekend traffic backed up along the freeway’s southbound lanes. A minor accident, in the road’s center divider near the Victoria Avenue exit, had already brought traffic to a halt, Rhyne said.
A Los Angeles man, driving a rented 1996 Buick in the southbound passing lane, approached the stalled traffic too quickly and was unable to stop in time, Rhyne said. He plowed into the back of a Nissan Altima at about 50 or 60 mph, hitting the Nissan with enough force to shove it into the Volvo in front of it.
Three cars were totaled and three other sustained damage. None of the drivers or passengers was seriously injured. Rhyne said all were wearing seat belts.
The name of the driver who started the chain reaction was not available Sunday evening. He was not arrested but could be cited, Rhyne said.
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