7-car pileup halts traffic on 5 Freeway in Santa Clarita

A seven-car pileup had drivers trapped on the northbound 5 Freeway in Santa Clarita on Friday afternoon, after a crash that authorities said began with a hit-and-run left four lanes of the roadway blocked for an hour.

California Highway Patrol officials said that about 11:12 a.m. they began receiving calls concerning a multi-car pileup on the freeway north of Gavin Canyon near Calgrove Boulevard, the L.A. Times reported.

Seven cars were involved in the crash, which clogged the highway between downtown L.A. and the canyon communities, officials said.

Three people suffered minor-to-moderate injuries, the CHP said, and three lanes were opened up to traffic an hour after the crash.

--Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times