San Juan Bautista
– A three-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 101 Tuesday morning sent
one man to the hospital and interrupted the northbound commute near
Highway 156 for more than two hours.
San Juan Bautista – A three-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 101 Tuesday morning sent one man to the hospital and interrupted the northbound commute near Highway 156 for more than two hours.
The crash occurred a mile south of the Highway 156 interchange at approximately 7:40am, the California Highway Patrol said.
A delivery truck rear-ended a pickup truck, slamming it into another delivery truck, CHP Officer Brian Borchard said.
Emergency crews shut down both northbound lanes of Highway 101 while Donald J. Lewis, 52, of King City, was removed from the 2002 GMC Sierra he was driving, the CHP said. Lewis suffered a fractured left arm and was flown by helicopter to the Regional Medical Center of San Jose, where he was in stable condition, Borchard said.
In addition to suffering a broken arm, Lewis also complained of pain to his back, left knee and left hand, officers said.
Vicente Mendoza Rubio, 42, of Salinas, attempted to adjust the visor of the delivery truck he was driving because of the morning sun, Borchard said. When Rubio looked back to the road, traffic had slowed and his 2002 International box truck rear-ended the pickup Lewis was driving.
Borchard said the length of the pickup truck had been reduced by about 30 percent after being slammed underneath the rear of a delivery truck driven by 25-year-old Salinas resident Trino Deanda.
The extent of the wreckage required more than two hours to clear, Borchard said.
One lane was opened at approximately 9:45am, the CHP reports. Both lanes were open by 10am.
All of the drivers were wearing seat belts, according to the CHP. Alcohol was not involved in the accident. Conditions were sunny, clear and dry.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
