Two Hurt in Six-Vehicle Freeway Crash

VENTURA —  A six-vehicle collision on the Ventura Freeway sent two people to the hospital Friday and caused a traffic backup from an overturned truck blocking one of three lanes.

California Highway Patrol officers were still trying to determine the cause of the 4:14 p.m. accident, which also forced three cars into the center divider and another two onto the right shoulder of the southbound lane, a quarter-mile west of California 33.

“It’s a confusing accident because you’ve got so many different vehicles involved,” said Dave Cockrill, CHP spokesman.

The two victims, whose names police did not release, were treated for minor injuries at Ventura County Medical Center and released, said CHP spokeswoman Tina Anderson.

The driver of the Isuzu truck, Chung Sung, 37, of La Crescenta, was transporting hundreds of pounds of fish to Los Angeles-area markets when he collided with a Volvo in the center of three lanes. It was not known who was driving the Volvo.

Salt water keeping the fish alive leaked from Sung’s overturned truck, creating a thin stream of water down the freeway. He said he lost about $2,500 because he will be unable to sell the fish.

Sung was, however, grateful that he and his passenger, Mansoo Chung, 40, of Los Angeles, escaped with only soreness.

“We got lucky,” he said, “Our bodies are OK.”

Matt Neuman, 21, of Santa Barbara, said he was following his friend’s car en route to Oxnard when another vehicle struck his vehicle, sending it into the center divider. He said he also escaped injury.