• Car barrels through Virginia parade crowd, injuring at least 50, official says

    Earl Neikirk / Bristol Herald Courier via AP

    Emergency personnel attend to the injured after a car veered into paradegoers in Damascus, Va., on Saturday, injuring dozens.

    By Debra McCown, The Associated Press

    DAMASCUS, Va. -- An elderly driver plowed into dozens of hikers marching in a Saturday parade in a small Virginia mountain town and investigators were looking into whether he suffered a medical emergency before the accident.


    About 50 to 60 people suffered injuries ranging from critical to superficial, but no fatalities were reported. Three of the worst injured were flown by helicopter to area hospitals. Their conditions weren't immediately available.

    Another 12 to 15 victims were taken to hospitals by ambulance and the rest were treated at the scene, where some paramedics and other first-responders were participating in the parade.

    It happened around 2:10 p.m. during the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival, an annual celebration of the Appalachian Trail in Damascus, near the Tennessee state line about a half-hour drive east of Bristol.

    Damascus Police Chief Bill Nunley didn't release the driver's name or age but said he was participating in the parade and he had traversed the Appalachian Trail in the past. Multiple witnesses described him as an elderly man.

    Nunley said the man's 1997 Cadillac was one of the last vehicles in the parade and the driver might have suffered an unspecified medical problem when his car accelerated to about 25 mph and struck the crowd on a two-lane bridge along the town's main road. The driver was among those taken to hospitals.

    Witnesses in southwestern Virginia said a car drove into a crowd at a parade Saturday and hurt several people. NBC's Lester Holt reports.

    "It is under investigation and charges may be placed," Nunley said.

    Witnesses said the car had a handicapped parking sticker and it went more than 100 feet before coming to a stop.

    "He was hitting hikers," said Vickie Harmon, a witness from Damascus. "I saw hikers just go everywhere."

    Amanda Puckett, who was watching the parade with her children, ran to the car, where she and others lifted the car off those pinned underneath.

    "Everybody just threw our hands up on the car and we just lifted the car up," she said.

    Keith Neumann, a hiker from South Carolina, said he was part of the group that scrambled around the car. They pushed the car backward to free a woman trapped underneath and lifted it off the ground to make sure no one else was trapped.

    "There's no single heroes. We're talking about a group effort of everybody jumping in," he said.

    Nunley cited quick action by police, firefighters, paramedics and hikers to tend to the victims, including a volunteer firefighter who dove into the car to turn off the ignition. The firefighter, whose name wasn't released, suffered minor injuries.

    Mayor Jack McCrady encouraged people to attend the festival on Sunday, its final day.

    "In 27 years of this, we've never had anything of this magnitude, and is it our job to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.

    McCrady said a donation fund was being set up to assist the injured, some of whom don't have medical insurance.

    "We want to make sure they don't suffer any greater loss than they already have," he said. 

    © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

  • 5 young adults killed in two-car crash in Florida

    By Associated Press

    Five people, including three teenagers, were killed Saturday in Florida after their car was hit by another vehicle that jolted through an interstate exit ramp, authorities said.

    The driver of a 2008 Mercedes is believed to have been speeding as he exited Interstate 95 and ran a red light in Riviera Beach, about five miles north of West Palm Beach, shortly after midnight, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Tim Frith said.

    Twenty-one-year-old Jabari Kemp's vehicle slammed into a 1994 Lexus carrying five people, the youngest 14 and the oldest 22. The impact ejected four people from the car. Only one passenger was wearing a seatbelt, Frith said.

    Four of the people in the Lexus were pronounced dead at the scene. A fifth died after being taken to a nearby hospital.

    "It's every parent's worst fear," Frith said. "The families right now are the main concern."

    Killed in the crash were: Makita Campbell, 14; Shonteria Grimsley, 17; Jason Mahlung, 21; and Christina Oliver Joseph, 17, all of Riviera Beach, in South Florida. A 22-year-old man also killed in the crash has not yet been identified.

    Kemp was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in serious but not life-threatening condition. Frith said troopers will conduct a complete traffic homicide investigation. No charges have been filed. Frith said Kemp's blood also will be checked for any indication of drugs or alcohol.

    "We're not ruling out anything at this point," Frith said.

    The two young men in the Lexus had been at an apartment complex until around 11:30 p.m. Friday, Frith said. Sometime thereafter investigators believe they picked up the three girls who were seated in the back of the vehicle, Frith said. He said troopers don't know where they were headed.

    Frith said Kemp was traveling at "a high rate of speed" as he exited the ramp and hit the Lexus. Debris from the crash struck a third vehicle, but the driver was not injured.

    There was no answer Saturday at a telephone number listed for Kemp's family in Florida.

    © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

  • 'My heart was beating so fast': Witness tells of Wal-Mart car-attack horror

    View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.

    By Lisa Fernandez and Kris Sanchez, NBCBayArea.com

    As he does almost every Sunday, Raymond Raborar was shopping in Wal-Mart in San Jose, Calif. on Sunday, while his mother was nearby at church.


    But instead of having a peaceful shopping trip at the store at 777 Story Road, Raborar witnessed – and videotaped – a bizarre and violent scene on Easter Sunday, as his mother prayed at Iglesia Ni Cristo Church a few blocks away.

    A driver, identified Monday by police as Haamid Ade Zaid, 33, of Seaside, allegedly drove a red Oldsmobile Cutlass into Wal-Mart's beer display before grabbing a blunt object – perhaps a metal pole – and began beating customers Sunday about 11:15 a.m.

    "My heart was beating so fast," Raborar, a 28-year-old San Jose caregiver, told NBC Bay Area on Monday. "People were screaming and starting to run. It was really loud."

    At first, he thought the crazy scene may have been started by some sort of terrorist.

    Raborar, who was at the pharmacy desk of Wal-Mart when the car smashed through the store, caught the event on video, which he shared with NBC Bay Area.

    The video shows a hectic scene, with people lying on the ground and Walmart employees doing their best to keep calm, and shooing gawkers away.

    "Out, out! All the customers out!" an employee is heard yelling. A few people on Raborar's YouTube channel wrote to him that their uncle, or their grandfather, were pictured injured in the video.

    Customers helped subdue Zaid – who police now say was high on drugs – until officers came to arrest him and book him in county jail.

    At least four people were reported injured, not by the car, but by flying debris, according to San Jose Fire Capt. Reggie Williams.

    Read more from NBCBayArea.com

    Zaid was arrested on four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, hit and run, and being under the influence of drugs. Police said they had no specific motive for what happened.

    Zaid's mother, Rosemary Zaid, of Seaside, did not want to speak on camera on Monday.

    But she told NBCBayArea.com that there is no explanation for what her son is accused of doing.

    Rosemary Zaid, however, described her son as an "excellent student" who attended Seaside High School and now lives in San Jose, where he owns his own auto restoration business and several properties.

    "This isn't him, this isn't him, this is not what he's like," Rosemary Zaid said. "He's a good man, a business man. He's never done drugs."

    Related:

    San Jose man drives car into Walmart, beats customers

     

  • Mail on fire after Postal Service 18-wheeler crashes along Florida interstate

    Florida Highway Patrol

    Smoke rises from the burnt-out remains of a U.S. Postal Service tractor-trailer carrying mail in Florida March 21.

    By Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News

    Florida Highway Patrol troopers were investigating the scene of a grisly accident along Interstate 75 in Pasco County, Fla., Thursday, after a dump truck crashed into a U.S. Postal Service tractor-trailer that caught fire after crashing into the road's median guardrail.

    The drivers were able to get out of both trucks before each became engulfed in flames, but much of the mail was damaged or destroyed by fire, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

    Members of the U.S. Postal Service were on scene to recover what they could Thursday morning.

    The tractor-trailer was traveling south along I-75 in the outside lane when it hit a crash attenuator and partially jack-knifed at around 6:30 a.m., Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Steve Gaskins said. Unable to stop in time, the dump truck following behind rear-ended the trailer.

    Florida Highway Patrol

    Damaged and destroyed mail is seen among the wreckage of the fiery crash along Interstate 75.

    No injuries were reported, but both drivers were transported to area hospitals for observation. 

    Mark Alan Berrier, 55, the driver of the mail truck, was transported to University Community Hospital in Tampa.

    Manuel Francisco Rodriguez Rivera, 42, the driver of the dump truck operated by R&D Hauling of Land O'Lakes, Fl., was transported to Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Gaskins said. 

    Gaskins said repair crews have determined the damage to the roadway would require the southbound lanes of I-75 to remain closed until 6 p.m. EST Thursday, while the roadway asphalt is replaced.

  • Driver killed crossing highway after surviving car crash

    By Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News

    A New Jersey man survived a car crash early Monday, only to be killed while trying to cross the highway on foot, police said.


    New Jersey State Police said 21-year-old Luis Sarmiento was found dead around 12:45 a.m. after he had been struck by two vehicles on the Garden State Parkway.

    About 25 minutes earlier, Sarmiento had been involved in a two-vehicle accident on the northbound side of the parkway about a half mile from where he was killed, police said.

    A preliminary police investigation revealed that Sarmiento left his car shortly after the accident and climbed over the center median to try to run across the southbound lane.

    Police said state troopers matched Sarmiento’s identification to the owner of a Honda Accord abandoned at the accident scene.

    Troopers also spoke to the drivers of the two vehicles that struck Sarmiento, police said. The incident remains under investigation. 

  • At least 3 die in massive car pileups amid Michigan snow squalls

    WDIV

    Dozens of cars and trucks were involved in a pileup on I-75 in Michigan on Thursday.

    By Kari Huus and Nadine Comerford, NBC News

    A massive chain-reaction crash on an interstate highway in Detroit on Thursday killed three people, including two children, and left at least 40 injured, local authorities said. That was the first of three major pileups reported on icy Michigan roads Thursday amid blinding snow squalls.


    The accident on I-75 in Detroit, which involved cars as well as semi trucks, killed two children in one vehicle and one adult in another vehicle, Michigan State Police confirmed. There were six crash scenes over an approximately one-mile-long stretch, involving 30-35 vehicles, they said. In total, 300-400 vehicles were on the stretch of roadway, most of them blocked by the wreckage.

    Motorists and passengers who were able to climb out of their vehicles huddled together on the side of the road, some visibly distraught, others looking dazed. A man and woman hugged under the gray, cloud-filled skies, a pair of suitcases next to them and a bumper on the ground behind.

    Motorists interviewed by the Detroit Free Press described a sudden snow squall that whipped through the area, blinding them. Drivers slammed on their brakes and then slid on the icy road, they said.

    "It got real bad, real quick," Greg Galuszka of Brownstown Township told the paper. "It turned to ice real quick."

    The accident started in the southbound lanes of the I-75 bridge across the Rouge River in southwest Detroit, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

    At least a dozen people were transported to area hospitals to be treated for injuries, including broken bones, head trauma and lacerations, the Free Press reported, citing Detroit EMS Chief Jerald James. He said at least 30 more people were treated for injuries at the scene.

    Many people in the cars had left their vehicles and moved a safe distance from the crash, according to WDIV. The Red Cross was on the scene handing out blankets, food and beverages as authorities worked to clear the debris and get the busy thoroughfare reopened.

    Michael Conroy / AP

    Police and emergency personal work the scene of a pileup involving more than 40 vehicles, many of the semi truck trailers, on I-70 in Plainfield, Ind., Thursday.

    Elsewhere in Michigan, a pileup of about 10 tractor-trailers and about six cars on westbound I-94 caused some injuries, but no fatalities had been reported, according to state police.

    A third multiple-car crash took place on U.S. Highway 23 in Genesee County, according to Chris Swanson in the sheriff's office. What began with a rolled pickup truck quickly escalated into a massive pileup that included 52 cars and five semi-trucks, he said. There were no fatalities, though 14 people were transported to hospitals with varying degrees of injury, none of which was considered life-threatening, Swanson said.

    The state's transportation department is providing frequent updates on all three accidents through its Twitter account. At about 3:30 ET, the department tweeted that all lanes of I-75 had been reopened.

    Michigan didn't get its first major snowfall until after Christmas — later than usual. Like most of the Midwest, it was expected to get less snow than normal as major storm systems veered to the north and south of the state.

    But Detroit is apparently now experiencing snow caused by the "lake effect," when a cold wave crosses over the warmer-than-normal water of the Great Lakes.

    WXYZ-TV in Detroit reported a winter weather advisory in effect until 7 p.m. Thursday.

    "Watch for bursts of heavy snow and icy roads.... Snow accumulations of 2-4 inches will be possible with these intense snow bands," with winds gusting up to 35 miles per hour, according to the forecast. "Visibilities could go close to zero in the heaviest bands of snow."

    Meanwhile, another multicar crash was being reported on I-70 in Hendricks County, Ind., NBC affiliate WTHR reported. According to the initial accounts, that pileup involves dozens of vehicles and serious injuries. The report cites snow squalls and slippery roads there as well and says the interstate is shut down in both directions at the site west of Indianapolis, near mile marker 65.

    High winds and heavy rains brought more misery to the Eastern Seaboard Thursday, a day after a squall line thundered across the South and produced widespread flooding, tornadoes and violent storms that leveled homes and killed people. The Weather Channel's Julie Martin reports.

  • 2 Good Samaritans electrocuted trying to help car crash victim

    As TODAY's Natalie Morales reports, two women were electrocuted to death by water after rushing to help a driver who had slammed his car into a fire hydrant and utility pole in California. One witness, James Pike, describes the horrific scene.

    By Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News

    Two women were electrocuted Wednesday after trying to help the victims of a car accident in Los Angeles, fire department officials said.



    Follow @andrewjmach

    The women, who have not been identified, were apparently responding separately to the scene of a crash in Valley Village in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles., where a vehicle slammed into a fire hydrant and a light pole which knocked down a power line around 8:30 p.m.

    Rick Mcclure / AP

    Los Angeles fire captain Cristian Granucci examines the wreckage of a car as water from a fire hydrant sits gushes out behind it after the crash.

    The SUV came to a stop about 10 feet away from the fire hydrant, which burst, shooting water two stories into the air, witnesses said. The gushing water quickly pooled underneath the vehicle where the damaged light pole left electrical wires sticking out of the ground.

    Fire department officials said the wires were disguised by the darkness, the running water and the growing number of startled neighbors and passing drivers who came running to help. Unbeknownst to the first people who tried to help the victim of the crash, an adult male, the water was electrified.

    Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter   

    A woman who lived in a nearby home rushed out to the scene and stepped into the electrified water and was electrocuted.

    A husband and wife who were driving by also stopped and rushed to help. That woman was also electrocuted.  Her husband suffered only minor injuries.

    Rick Mcclure / AP

    Firefighters and paramedics examine two of the eight victims who were shocked after attempting to aid a car crash victim as water gushes from the fire hyrdant.

    “I came running out and I saw the car and I saw the water, and then all of the sudden I saw a lady come out of nowhere,” a witness, Christie Vergini, told Fox LA. “She walked, stepped in the water, fell back on her back with her arms straight out, and then I ran back to the house to get my mom and came back. There was a huge crowd of people. Another lady supposedly was reaching in to help her got shocked too, and they were trying to help her and everybody was like stand back, don’t touch the water."

    “Everybody panicking because they couldn’t help the woman on the ground because of the live wire,” another witness, Liz Casmier told Fox LA.” I mean, it was obvious she needed aid, but nobody could do anything because of the live wire in the water. It was horrifying.”

    Five others, ranging in ages from 19 to 57, followed and were electrically shocked, fire department officials said.

    Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com

    “I run outside, and across the street I see two women laying on the sidewalk,” a witness, James Pike, told NBCLosAngeles.com. “I see two or three young gentlemen keep trying to rescue them and pull them to safety and each time they would try to pull them there were getting shocked.”

    When Los Angeles firefighters arrived to the scene, they used rubber gloves and a long pole to pull the two women, who lay motionless on the ground, from the water. Seven of the eight victims were taken to an area hospital, where the two women were pronounced dead. One of the victims who suffered minor injuries declined to be taken to the hospital.  

    NBC News

    An aerial view of the accident in Los Angeles which killed two people.

    In total, 55 additional firefighters were dispatched to the scene, who secured the area and treated victims.

    The Department of Water and Power shut off the water supply to the fire hydrant and electricity to the power lines. Investigators from the LAPD Valley Traffic Division said excessive speed was likely a factor of the car accident. Alcohol was not believe to be involved.

    “This tragic accident, in some ways can serve as a warning,” Los Angeles Fire Department Spokesman Erik Scott said. “Many people, with nothing but the best intentions, were injured and killed while trying to save others. This reminds all who want to help at the scene of an emergency to stay aware of their surroundings, and if there is any question as to safety, please wait for trained rescuers to arrive.”

    More content from NBCNews.com:

    Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

  • Good Samaritans rescue two from burning car in Mississippi

    Gerald Herbert / AP

    Passers-by rescue a woman pinned in a burning car on Interstate 10 in Hancock County, Miss., Thursday, Aug. 16.

    Gerald Herbert / AP

    Passers-by rescue a woman pinned in a burning car on Interstate 10 in Hancock County, Miss., Thursday, Aug. 16.

    Gerald Herbert / AP

    Passers-by hold a woman after they rescued her from being pinned in a burning car on Interstate 10 in Hancock County, Miss., Thursday, Aug. 16.

    Gerald Herbert / AP

    A firefighter comforts a handicapped girl who was rescued from a burning car, as others stabilize the driver in the background, after passers-by rescued the driver pinned in a burning car on Interstate 10 in Hancock County, Miss., Thursday, Aug. 16.

    Two people were rescued by passers-by from a burning car in Mississippi following an accident on Thursday and AP photographer Gerald Herbert was there to capture it.  The fire was extinguished by the hose of a cement mixer and fire extinguishers from nearby truckers. The driver was then extracted from the wreckage by civilians as rescue personnel arrived.  She and her handicapped sister, who was removed from the wreckage earlier, were airlifted from the scene.  

    "We were all sure she was going to perish. The sounds of her screams and the sight of the fire inching closer to her, that was the most horrible and helpless feeling I've ever felt in my life," Herbert told the AP.

    Full story

    Moments after an SUV careened out of control, struck a tree and caught fire on a Mississippi highway median strip, dozens of fellow motorists rushed to help, saving the lives of two women.

  • After fatal head-on wreck, wrong-way driver's wife and two children found slain at home

    Indiana State Police via AP

    Police say the drivers of two vehicles were killed early Thursday in a fiery wreck after one of them was driving the wrong way down Interstate 94 near Michigan City, Ind.

    By Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News

    A woman and her two young sons were found dead in their suburban Detroit home Thursday when police went there to notify her that her husband had died in a fiery, head-on car wreck in Indiana, police said.


    Police in Wayne County’s Van Buren Township said they went to the home around 8:30 a.m. after being notified of a man’s death in a car crash near Michigan City, Ind. They found a door to the house ajar, and when no one responded, police went inside and found a woman, 34, and her 4-year-old and 7-year-old sons dead in beds in separate bedrooms.

    The identities of the victims have not been released and police would not say how the three were killed, but the case was being investigated as a homicide. Police said a possible weapon was found in the home.

    Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter

    Earlier Thursday, police identified the father of the children and husband of the woman, Michael Van Der Linden, 39, as one of two drivers killed in a car crash near Michigan City, Ind., Thursday morning.

    Indiana State Police said State Trooper Lawrence McFarrin responded at about 1:35 a.m. to a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 94 in northern Indiana near Michigan City.

    The preliminary investigation revealed that Van Der Linden left a highway rest area driving on the wrong side of the road and crashed head-on with another vehicle, causing a fire that engulfed both vehicles.

    The LaPorte County Fire Department – also called to the scene – extinguished the flames and found the drivers in the wreckage.

    Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com

    LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan pronounced the drivers, Van Der Linden and 45-year-old Juan Nelson of Portage, Ind., dead at the scene, police said.

    The causes of death for both men were fourth-degree burns and blunt force trauma, Sullivan said, and the deaths were ruled accidental at this time.

    Two westbound lanes of I-94 near Michigan City were closed for several hours after the crash.

    A statement released by the Van Buren School District Thursday afternoon said the two boys were students and had finished the first grade and preschool earlier this year. 

    More content from NBCNews.com:

    Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

     

     

     

  • New Jersey State Police trooper charged with drunk driving after crashing car into creek

    By NBC News staff

    A New Jersey State Police trooper has been charged with drunken driving and other offenses after striking two parked cars, crashing his police vehicle into a backyard creek and then fleeing the scene, according to reports.


    Trooper Kevin Byrne, 33, of Spring Lake Heights, N.J., was off-duty at about 2:45 a.m. on July 25 when he allegedly hit the unoccupied cars, which were parked in an area frequented by tourists of the Jersey Shore.

    At the same time, the Lake Como Police Department received a report of a hit-and-run accident, the Star-Ledger reported. The report said police found an unmarked state police vehicle in a nearby creek.

    No one was injured in the wreck.

    The department notified the New Jersey State Police, which took over the investigation.

    Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter

    A spokesman for the state police, Acting Sgt. 1st Class Brian Police, told the Star-Ledger that Byrne was arrested at about 3 a.m. at his home, more than two miles away from where he abandoned his car. 

    The man who reported the accident to Lake Como police, Nicholas Duva, told the Star-Ledger he was awakened that night by car alarms. He said he went outside and saw his two cars had been struck. One was totaled and the other severely damaged, he said.

    “We’ve been renting here a couple of years,” Duva said. “This wasn’t exactly in the vacation plans, but these things happen. One was my son’s car and I’m really happy no one was hurt.”

    Byrne was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, careless driving likely to endanger person or property, and leaving the scene of an accident, according to Lake Como municipal court records. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

    Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com

    Under the New Jersey State Police’s policy governing alcohol use, any accident involving a trooper under the influence of alcohol requires a response from the field operations commander. The commander is responsible for ensuring all proper law-enforcement procedures are followed.

    Byrne is assigned to the Central T.E.A.M.S. unit, a highly specialized group of emergency responders. He made $94,232 last year in regular salary, not including overtime and other pay, according to state payroll records.

    The state police’s alcohol policy states that even off-duty troopers are prohibited from drinking, even while on vacation, to the extent that it might affect their work because they could be called to duty at any time – particularly if they are a member of an emergency-response team.

    Police said Byrne, a 10-year veteran, was suspended without pay the same day as the incident, pending the outcome of the criminal charges and an internal investigation by the state police. Troopers found in violation of the alcohol policy can be dismissed from the force, with the final decision resting with Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes. 

    More content from NBCNews.com:

    Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

  • Multi-vehicle crash near Los Angeles shuts down freeway

    Rick Mcclure / AP

    Firefighting paramedics remove an injured motorist on Tuesday at the site of a freeway pileup in northern Los Angeles County involving at least 19 vehicles.

    By Melissa Pamer, NBCLA.com

    All southbound lanes of Antelope Valley (14) Freeway were shut down at about 10 a.m. Pacific time Tuesday after a big rig collided with several cars, blocking the roadway.


    Nineteen vehicles were involved and 15 individuals were injured and taken to the hospital, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Two patients were in critical condition, the fire department said.

    This story was first reported by NBCLA.com.

    A truck towing two trailers of sand or dirt collided with multiple passenger cars, aerial video showed. The cars were piled on top of each other in the roadway.

    The crash occurred south of the Escondido Canyon Road exit in the Agua Dulce area (map), about 1 mile east of Vasquez Rocks county park. The crash was reported at 9:42 a.m. PT.

    The California Highway Patrol's traffic website stated that 25 tons of sand were involved, and that passengers were trapped in their vehicles. Photos from the scene showed severe damage to vehicles, including a car with seemingly every part crushed except the driver's seat.

    Officials on scene said that the big rig was going too fast while traveling around a curve. The truck was not far behind a CHP officer's patrol car, which was attempting to slow traffic so that debris could be cleared from the roadway.

    Aerial video showed multiple people being transported on gurneys and stretchers.

    Traffic was backed up for several miles. The CHP website said traffic was being directed off the freeway at Escondido Canyon Road.

    As of 11:42 a.m. pt, all cars between the exit and the crash site had been cleared off the freeway, the CHP website said. It was unknown when the collision site would be cleared.

    At about noon, tow trucks were beginning to remove the first of nine heavily damaged vehicles that had crashed into and, in some cases, on top of each other.

    NBCLA.com is operated by KNBC, NBC News' affiliate in Southern California.

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

    Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook


  • Police officer takes wrong turn, drives car up utility pole

    A Miami police offer took a wrong turn and drove his car up a utility pole Tuesday morning.

     

    By NBCMiami.com and msnbc news services

    MIAMI -- A Miami Police officer wasn't injured, but his car may need a little work after he drove it up a utility pole in a single car accident Tuesday morning.

    Miami Police said the officer was briefly distracted and ran over a wire on the pole, leaving his patrol car at a 45-degree angle. Rescue workers responded and helped the officer hop out of the car uninjured.

    The incident is just the latest Keystone Kops-like episode for South Florida police.

    • Last week, an off-duty cop was discovered passed out and drunk in his patrol car, the Miami-Dade, Fla., police department told local media. Instead of being cuffed and booked, Fernando Villa, 32, was allowed to go home after signing a form promising he would appear in court, the Miami Herald reported.
    • A feud between Miami Police and the Florida Highway Patrol culminated in one trooper getting his patrol car smeared with human feces.
    • A Florida police officer allegedly shot at a fellow cop in November before driving off and ordering pizza.
    • In July, Miami Beach cop Derick Kuilan nearly killed two people after allegedly plowing into them on his police ATV while taking a woman for a boozy late-night joyride, according to the Miami Times. He was fired and is awaiting trial on reckless driving and DUI charges.

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: