Motorist skids off Highway 101 onramp into southbound lanes in Santa Rosa

Southbound traffic on Highway 101 came to a standstill Tuesday afternoon in downtown Santa Rosa after a pickup truck apparently ran off a rain-slickened onramp and ended up overturned on the busy freeway.

The crash occurred about 1:30 p.m. near Highway 12.

Three ambulances rushed patients to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, an emergency dispatcher said. The extent of their injuries remained unclear Tuesday night.

The crash was first described as involving a northbound pickup truck that had crossed into southbound lanes. But CHP Sgt. John Evans on Tuesday night said the crash actually occurred when the vehicle exited westbound Highway 12 and entered the southbound onramp for Highway 101.

Its driver, Pauline Zamboni, whose age and city of residence were unknown, lost control on the curving ramp, which apparently had been dampened by recent precipitation, he said.

Zamboni's vehicle jumped a curve, crossed a landscaping strip and collided with at least one other vehicle, Evans said. Her injuries were unknown.

The CHP website reported that the pickup truck had overturned.

Santa Rosa firefighters said they had to extricate at least one person from a vehicle involved in the crash.

The extrication required the closure of all the southbound lanes until about 2:10 p.m., said CHP Officer Jon Sloat. The lanes later opened but motorists still faced major traffic delays.

Another driver, Bart Stafford, who name and city of residence were unknown, suffered major injuries, Evans said.

At different times, between two and four vehicles were reported involved in the crash. No further details were available Tuesday night.

Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González contributed to this report.