5-Vehicle Crash Clogs Pomona Freeway

A five-vehicle accident involving a big rig and a tour bus resulted in a long backup on the eastbound Pomona Freeway and injuries to two people, one whose life may have been saved by a seat belt, authorities said.

“We’re just thankful that the driver chose to wear a seat belt this morning because it saved his life,” Officer Scott Loetscher of the California Highway Patrol said of the driver of a Ford Explorer that rolled over several times.

Larone Brown, 24, driver of the Explorer, was transported from the crash scene by helicopter to County USC Medical Center, where he was in serious condition. The accident left his vehicle mangled, and a “jaws of life” device was required to extricate the driver.

The tour bus driver, Benjamin Crosby, 54, was taken by ambulance to San Dimas Community Hospital, where he was treated for minor cuts and bruises and then released, hospital officials said.

None of the 45 VIP Holiday tour bus passengers, who were headed from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, was injured, according to the CHP.

The passengers continued their trip with a different bus because the vehicle in the accident suffered significant damage, said Linda Sung, general manager of the company, based in Monterey Park.

“The impact was pretty big,” she said. “It was damaged in the front, the door, the steps, everything.”

The crash occurred near Diamond Bar Boulevard shortly before 9 a.m. and caused the closure of all lanes on the eastbound side of the freeway, resulting in a backup that lasted for more than three hours, said CHP Sgt. Mark Roe.

The westbound Pomona Freeway was shut down for less than 10 minutes when the Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter landed to pick up the injured driver, said Loetscher.

Traffic was diverted from the Pomona Freeway to the northbound Orange Freeway until about noon, said Roe.

The accident occurred when a big-rig driver in the slow lane lost control of his vehicle as a result of a steering mechanism failure, said Loetscher.

Two cars near the big rig, the Explorer and an Audi, veered left to avoid being hit. Then the tour bus in the carpool lane struck the Explorer and the Audi and pushed them into the big rig. The Explorer then turned over several times, and then a Toyota pickup struck the big rig.