San Juan Capistrano : 7-Car Chain-Reaction Pileup on I-5 Injures 10

Traffic on the southbound Interstate 5 was snarled for nearly two hours Thursday following a chain-reaction accident that involved seven vehicles and injured at least 10 people.

The California Highway Patrol said a car slowed suddenly just north of Junipero Serra Road shortly after 10 a.m., causing six vehicles behind it to pile up. The injured were taken to area hospitals and were treated and released. However, three lanes of the freeway were closed for 45 minutes, resulting in a two-hour traffic jam.

Witnesses at the scene said the accident may have been caused when the driver of the first car tried to avoid an object in the roadway, but because the first car left the scene before officers arrived and no object was recovered, that could not be confirmed.