Big-Rig Crashes Injure 3, Block Lanes On I-80 In Dixon

DIXON, CA — Three people were hospitalized and multiple lanes of Interstate Highway 80 were blocked in both directions Friday afternoon when two big rigs and two sedans collided in a series of chain-reaction crashes north of Dixon, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Lanes on eastbound and westbound I-80 were blocked by the crashes that occurred around 10:30 a.m. All westbound lanes and the No. 1 eastbound lane were reported open again around 12:45 p.m. but the No. 2 and No. 3 eastbound lanes were blocked for two hours, the CHP said.

The collisions caused an estimated 50-gallon diesel spill on the right shoulder of the road.

CHP Officer Miguel Camarena said the series of crashes started when the driver of a gray Honda sedan traveling on westbound I-80, just east of Pedrick Road, collided with a Freightliner. The impact sent the Honda and the semi to the left and into the center divide, the CHP said.

The Honda came to rest at the center divide but the Freightliner "penetrated" the metal center guardrail and continued into the eastbound lanes where it hit a white Subaru, CHP Officer David Harvey said.

The collision tore the Subaru into three separate pieces, Harvey said. The 40-year-old Hayward man driving the Subaru suffered moderate injuries and was taken to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment.

According to Harvey, the Freightliner eventually came to rest but not before it collided with another big rig, an International. Both semis landed on the south shoulder of eastbound I-80.

There were single occupants in all four vehicles. One of the sedans had a child safety seat but there were no children in any of the vehicles, Camarena said.

The driver of the Freightliner, a 60-year-old Sacramento man, was not injured in the series of collisions.

A 47-year-old man from Vacaville was driving the Honda; he suffered minor injuries and was treated at David Grant Medical Center, Harvey said.

The driver of the International, a 67-year-old Auburn man, was taken to Kaiser Vacaville for treatment of minor injuries.

The spilled diesel did not require a response from a hazardous materials team, Camarena said.

The incident is under investigation; anyone with pertinent information is asked to call the CHP's non-emergency line, 800-TELL-CHP (800-835-5247), or the CHP Solano Area Office at 707-428-2100.

Patch Editor Maggie Fusek and Bay City News contributed to this report.