Rain-Slicked Roads Contribute to String of Mishaps in Valley

Rain-slicked roads contributed to several traffic collisions on Valley freeways Sunday morning, including one involving two law enforcement officials struck by a runaway patrol car and another that saw a Ford Escort smashed underneath a tractor-trailer.

The first incident began at 6:06 a.m. on the southbound Golden State Freeway in Burbank, officials said.

The driver of a semi-trailer was approaching the Alameda Avenue exit when he lost control of his vehicle. The truck jackknifed, hit the guard rail, clipped a car and then struck the center divider before coming to a stop, according to Officer Karen Faciane of the California Highway Patrol.

As his trailer lay stalled across three lanes of the freeway, a Ford Escort that could not stop in time rammed underneath the tractor-trailer, where it remained pinned for more than four hours, Faciane said. It was raining at the time of the accident, she added.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured, but the Escort’s driver was transported to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank. He was treated for neck injuries and minor cuts and released, Faciane said. Authorities did not release the names of either driver.

The crash, which blocked four freeway lanes at one point, subsequently led to several fender-benders, Faciane said.

It was unknown how many cars were affected, but one minor chain-reaction accident involved NBC-TV Channel 4 weather reporter Angie Austin, who was on her way to work. Austin, who was not hurt, ended up broadcasting from her accident scene on the Ventura Freeway for the “Today in L.A.” morning show, NBC-4 officials said.

The second string of traffic accidents began at 7:23 a.m. on the eastbound Ventura Freeway in the Studio City area. A female motorist lost control of her Toyota 4-Runner near the Laurel Canyon Boulevard exit, slamming her vehicle into the sound wall along the right shoulder and overturning, said CHP Officer Bob Granieri.

A CHP officer was sent to assist the woman, and as they talked on the right shoulder, six other cars were involved in a second collision nearby, Granieri said.

One of those vehicles struck the CHP officer’s parked patrol car, sending it spinning. The patrol car brushed against the CHP officer and then struck an off-duty LAPD officer who had stopped at the scene to assist with the first accident. The LAPD officer suffered a cut to his left ear and was transported to an area hospital, Granieri said. The CHP officer was unharmed, he said. Authorities would not release the names of the officers nor the motorists involved in the accidents.

The causes and circumstances of Sunday’s multiple collisions were still under investigation, but wet road conditions likely contributed, Granieri said.

“The impact of rain [on these traffic accidents] is significant,” he said. “What people fail to remember is when the road is wet, traction suffers. A good way to drive defensively in the rain is to give yourself a larger space cushion for the vehicle in front of you and the vehicle behind you.”

Granieri also advised that people give themselves a 10- to 15-minute head start in driving time, since there will probably be delays on the roads from traffic accidents and the wet conditions.

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The streets are expected to remain dry today and stay that way until possibly Friday, according to weather experts. Light Santa Ana winds should boost temperatures into the upper 60s today in some parts of the Valley and clear most of the clouds from the skies, according to Jeff House of WeatherData, which provides weather information to The Times.

On Tuesday, temperatures will be a little warmer--into the low 70s--and then warmer still on Wednesday, which is expected to be mostly sunny with highs in the mid-70s.

Temperatures will return to normal on Thursday with highs in the 60s, House said. He said there is a 40% chance of rain for Friday.