CLEARLAKE — A chain reaction collision on Lakeshore Drive at Golf Avenue resulted in injuries to three Friday afternoon. The collision occurred around 12:15 p.m. when two vehicles had stopped and the third rear-ended the one in the middle.
The driver and passenger of the third vehicle and the driver of the first were transported from the scene via Lake County Fire Protection District ambulance for unknown injuries. All the victims were conscious when they were loaded into the ambulances.
Raymond Springer, 16, was traveling eastbound on Lakeshore Drive in a Dodge pickup when for unknown reasons his vehicle came to a stop. Frank Taylor, 70, who was traveling with his grandson Walter Knox, 18, managed to stop his Mercury Villager van before colliding with Springer”s vehicle in front of him, reported Knox.
However, the 2005 Mustang that was behind Taylor, driven by Lonnie Anderson, 29, collided with the rear end of his vehicle sending the van into the rear of the Dodge pickup.
Taylor”s vehicle sustained major front end damage while the other two vehicles involved in the collision sustained minimal damage.
Anderson and his passenger, Dwayne Yiggins, 30, required medical transport for unknown injuries sustained in the crash. Springer was also transported via ambulance for unknown injuries. Taylor and Knox were not injured in the collision.
According to Clearlake Police officers who responded to the scene, for every 10 miles per hour that a vehicle is traveling, there should be at least one car”s length between the vehicles. This allows for reaction time to stop in the appropriate amount of time, the officers said.
The public is reminded that the California Highway Patrol will be conducting a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) for the Labor Day weekend. Maximum enforcement means that all available officers will be on patrol looking for violators of the three major causes of highway deaths: speeding, DUI and people not wearing their seatbelts. The MEP began at 6 p.m. Friday and will continue through midnight Monday.
According to a press release issued by the CHP, the worst Labor Day weekend death toll was 81 in 1980. Last year, 49 people were killed on California roadway during the holiday weekend.
This Labor Day weekend is also an Operation CARE (Combined Accident Reduction Effort), which will emphasize added patrols on interstate highways such as I-5, I-15 and I-80.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
