FREMONT, California —
Four people were hurt in a seven-vehicle crash on Interstate 680 early Thursday that involved three big rigs, one of which overturned and forced the closure of multiple lanes for several hours.
No one was seriously hurt in the pileup, which authorities say is still under investigation.
Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be factors in the crash, which happened near Durham Road, said Officer Steve Creel of the California Highway Patrol.
Three lanes of the freeway were blocked for more than two hours after the crash. Traffic on southbound I-680 was backed up clear into Dublin.
All lanes reopened by 10:30 a.m. after emergency crews shoved the overturned rig into the center divide. It remained there for much of the day until another truck sent by the operator arrived to pick up 50,000 pounds of nonperishable food that was still in the trailer.
Crews were unloading the food by hand about 8:30 a.m. in an effort to turn the rig upright, but they stopped shortly thereafter when they realized there was nowhere to put all of the merchandise, Creel said.
The crash happened about 5 a.m. when a passenger car rear-ended a slow-moving big rig, the officer said.
A second rig swerved to avoid a collision but jackknifed. A third rig overturned as it tried to avoid hitting the passenger car involved in the initial collision, Creel said.
In all, seven vehicles were involved in three separate crashes.
“If this had been a seven-car pileup, we would have been able to clear it off the road sooner,” Creel said, noting that the overturned rig presented a bigger problem.
Four motorists were taken by ambulance to local hospitals, but their injuries were considered minor, the officer said.
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