Six people were injured, three seriously, in a multi-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 101 in San Francisco Sunday morning that temporarily blocked both southbound lanes of Doyle Drive, the California Highway Patrol said.
At about 1:20 p.m., the driver of a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier, 65-year-old Patricia Lepore, was traveling in the right lane of two lanes of southbound traffic when she slowly suddenly because of a road obstruction.
The driver of a 2003 Nissan Altima, which was traveling behind the Cavalier, was unable to stop in time and rear-ended Lepore’s vehicle.
A large open-top tour bus was also unable to stop, but simultaneously attempted to switch into the left lane as it slowed. Instead, it hit vehicles in both lanes – the Nissan and a 2000 Chrysler Cirrus that was traveling in the left lane.
Both southbound lanes of traffic were blocked for approximately 40 minutes until a tow truck was eventually able to remove the vehicles from the scene.
Lanes of northbound traffic were also temporarily blocked to allow emergency personnel access to the site by traveling the wrong direction on those lanes, the CHP said.
The drivers of the three cars sustained major injuries, while the driver of the bus had moderate injuries, according to the CHP.
Two passengers – one, a tourist on the bus, the other, a passenger in the Cirrus – were transported to California Pacific Medical Center with minor injuries and complaints of pain, the CHP said.
