I-5 Traffic Crash Sends 10 to Hospitals

A three-car auto accident sent 10 people to the hospital with varying degrees of injuries Wednesday afternoon.

The crash happened in the inside, northbound lanes of the I-5 in San Clemente, south of the Avenida Pico exit.

Because of inattention by its driver, a Dodge Durango in the innermost lane slammed into the back of a Nissan that was slowing down for traffic ahead, said California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Goodwin.

The impact shot the Nissan into a Mercedes, which was also slowing down for traffic, in the lane to the right.

The Dodge’s driver was a 43-year-old man from Texas. Paramedics took all four occupants of his car to UCI Medical Center with minor injuries, Goodwin said.

The six occupants of the Nissan, driven by a 26-year-old Los Angeles man, were taken to Mission Hospital, two with major injuries, two with moderate injuries and two with minor ones.

No one in the Mercedes, driven by a 55-year-old man from Carlsbad, was injured, Goodwin said.

He said drugs or alcohol weren’t factors in the crash, which is still under investigation.

Goodwin urged any witnesses to call the CHP’s San Juan Capistrano station at 949-487-4000 and ask for Officer McCulloch.