10 vehicles in 2 wrecks on Highway 37 send 5 people to hospitals

Heavy fog and speeding led to two pileups involving 10 vehicles Tuesday morning at the intersection of Highway 37 and Lakeville Highway, sending five people to area hospitals the CHP said.

Three cars traveling east on Highway 37 collided just west of Lakeville Highway around 8:35 a.m., said Officer Patrick Roth, a CHP spokesman. The accident forced other vehicles to stop.

Less than a minute later a big rig also traveling east on Highway 37 at an alleged unsafe speed was unable to see traffic backing up because of heavy fog limiting visibility to less than 50 feet, Roth said.

The big rig driver braked and attempted to split two lanes of traffic but instead rear-ended two vehicles causing a seven-vehicle chain reaction, Roth said.

The injured had minor to moderate injuries, Roth said.

You can reach Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at 707-521-5203 or nick.rahaim@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nrahaim.