A five-vehicle accident that sent three cars over the side of southbound Highway 101 in Thousand Oaks Tuesday — disrupting a wasp nest — caused major damage to several vehicles and multiple stings but no serious injuries, authorities said.
The crash was among several unusual accidents around the county Tuesday, including one involving a rear-ended vehicle that ran into a house and a deputy's patrol vehicle that overturned.
None of the accidents caused serious injuries.
Lakeview Canyon
The chain-reaction crash involving five vehicles was reported around 12:10 p.m. on southbound 101 near Lakeview Canyon Road, said Officer Ryan Ayers of the California Highway Patrol's Moorpark office. One vehicle hit another and they scattered from there, he said, with three ending up in sloped terrain off the side of the freeway.
One vehicle ran off the road north of Lakeview, Ayers said, and two others did so south of the road. There, one struck a tree and the other overturned.
The crash displaced a wasp nest.
"There were wasps everywhere," Ayers said.
They came out stinging. Ayers didn't know how many people were stung, but those at the scene waited for firefighters to spray foam around the nest to subdue the insects.
One car ended up about 50-60 feet off the highway. The other two wound up 30-40 feet down the slope. The three vehicles had major damage.
Two women from two separate vehicles were taken by ambulance to Los Robles Regional Medical Center with minor to moderate injuries, Ayers said.
The incident closed the freeway's right lane for emergency personnel and for tow trucks to retrieve vehicles off the side. Traffic backed up for about half a mile, Ayers said.
Investigators were still trying to figure out exactly how the crash took place as of Tuesday evening, he said.
Patrol vehicle overturns
A Ventura County Sheriff's patrol car overturned in a crash that involved another vehicle late Tuesday afternoon at a rural intersection west of Camarillo.
No serious injuries were reported.
The accident was reported at 4:19 p.m. at the intersection of Santa Clara and Central avenues, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crossing is situated amidst agricultural fields.
A spokesman for the CHP's Ventura-area office, which is investigating the crash, declined to provide details Tuesday evening.
Sheriff's Capt. James Sullivan said the deputy's Chevrolet Tahoe overturned. One other vehicle was involved. No details were available about the second vehicle or the circumstances that led up to the collision.
Firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded, according to Ventura County Fire Department dispatch information. All units cleared the scene in less than 40 minutes, the online records showed.
Rear-ended vehicle damages TO home
A rear-end collision on a southbound Highway 23 offramp in Thousand Oaks wound up damaging a home Tuesday, said the CHP's Ayers.
An elderly driver believed to be in his 80s reportedly rear-ended another vehicle on the offramp to East Hillcrest Drive shortly after 2 p.m., Ayers said.
The collision pushed the rear-ended vehicle into a house at the corner of Hillcrest and the offramp, he said.
Ayers didn't immediately know what section of the house was struck, but said county building and safety authorities at the scene were expected to red-tag the home, meaning residents can't stay there until it's deemed safe.
No serious injuries were reported, Ayers said.
This story may be updated.
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