SAN CLEMENTE
Traffic slowed to a crawl on the southbound side of Interstate 5 Thursday morning when a truck accident covered three lanes of the freeway with topsoil and fertilizer and caused considerable delays for South County commuters.
The crash occurred around 6:30 a.m. when a tractor trailer moving about 55 mph rear-ended another rig that had stalled along the right shoulder near the El Camino Real, said Officer Alan Jones of the California Highway Patrol.
The accident damaged the flatbed trailer of the stationary truck, which spilled over 1,000 bags of garden supplies and created a bumper-to-bumper jam from El Camino Real to the Camino las Rambles exit, Jones said.
The drivers of the trucks involved as well as a passenger in the moving rig were hospitalized and X-rayed after suffering abrasions and complaining of neck and back pain, Jones said.
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