Highway 99 Open Again After Four-Car Collision

The California Highway Patrol says a four-car pileup that briefly shut down part of northbound Highway 99 Thursday morning was caused by a distracted driver.

The accident occured around 8:00 a.m. just north of Laguna Blvd, when the male driver of a Camaro traveling in the fast lane rear-ended a Honda Civic, said CHP spokesperson Officer Michael Bradley. The crash caused a chain reaction that also affected the two cars in front of the Civic.

The driver of the Civic, a woman, was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition and is now in surgery, Bradley said. Two other drivers suffered minor injuries.

"The Camaro driver was inattentive, looking at his radio, and did not have time to brake," said Bradley.

Officers reopened the highway at about 8:30 a.m.