Multi-car crash snarls traffic on Highway 101 in Petaluma

A truck hauling a trailer slammed into a pickup Thursday morning on southbound Highway 101 in Petaluma, setting off a series of crashes that damaged six other vehicles and snarled traffic, the CHP said.

The truck driver was unable to stop in time around 7:30 a.m. when he approached a line of vehicles waiting to exit the highway at Lakeville Street, CHP Officer Juan Leon said. It was unknown how fast the driver, who was not identified, was going when he hit a black Ford pickup.

“That causes a chain reaction,” Leon said. “He runs into a pickup truck, which overturns.”

An 11-year-old girl riding in the Ford was taken as a precaution to a hospital for a small cut. No one else reported injuries, Leon said.

A black Lexus, a gray Honda Odyssey and a white Nissan Sentra waiting to exit the freeway sustained damage in the crash. A Jeep Compass and a Honda CR-V also suffered minor damage after the front right tire of the truck hauling the trailer dislodged and hit the SUVs.

Crews cleared the crash just after 9 a.m., Leon said.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nashellytweets.