Three people were injured Monday following a three-car collision that shut down westbound Interstate 80 and snarled late-morning traffic in both directions, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Pedro Leon said the crash occurred shortly before 11 a.m. when a 19-year-old Davis man lost control of his BMW while taking the westbound onramp from Richards Boulevard, entering the freeway in a southbound direction.
The driver’s side of the BMW was struck at freeway speed by a Toyota, causing both cars to spin around and collide with a third vehicle. Two of the cars came to rest blocking two lanes of the freeway, Leon said.
A Davis fire crew extricated the drivers of the BMW and a 32-year-old Elk Grove woman driving the Toyota, both of whom were taken to area hospitals with major injuries. A passenger in the BMW, a 20-year-old Davis man, was transported with minor injuries. No names were released.
Leon said westbound I-80 was shut down for about 45 minutes as a result of the crash, which caused traffic backups into the afternoon.