6 Hurt in 4-Car Crash in Malibu Canyon
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Six people were injured, one critically, Monday afternoon when a Reseda man’s car weaved into oncoming traffic on mountainous Malibu Canyon Road, sideswiped two cars and slammed head-on into a third, the California Highway Patrol said.
An unidentified 23-year-old woman driving the third car suffered head injuries, a lacerated liver and a collapsed lung, Officer Craig Klein said. She was airlifted to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition Monday night.
The woman’s passenger, Michelle Cevitella, 20, was hospitalized with moderate injuries at Kaiser Foundation Hospital in West Los Angeles.
Four others, including the Reseda man, were treated for cuts and bruises at area hospitals.
The 12:20 p.m. crash, just south of the Malibu Canyon tunnel, tied up traffic in both directions for about 45 minutes, delaying hundreds of motorists on the popular beach route.
The accident occurred when a car driven by Lowell Hopkins, 29, drifted onto the wrong side of the road as he drove north near the tunnel, Klein said.
One of the cars he sideswiped stopped on the edge of a cliff, the officer said.
Hopkins was not cited, but authorities are investigating the incident, Klein said.
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