5 Hospitalized, Traffic Halted in Crash

Five people were hospitalized, three with major injuries, after a three-car pileup that halted traffic on the Ventura Freeway near Forest Lawn Drive for more than 90 minutes Saturday, authorities said.

While California Highway Patrol officers cleared the road, eastbound traffic stood still from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

CHP Officer Bruce Ferrier said the crash occurred in the car-pool lane after one vehicle slowed, due either to a tire blowout or mechanical problems.

The car behind it also slowed, but a third car, driven by Ewan F. Berruelos, 18, of North Hollywood, slammed into the second car, which in turn struck the first vehicle, Ferrier said.

A child and two teen-agers in Berruelos’ car suffered major injuries. A 17-year-old girl was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, a 9-year-old boy was taken to Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles, and a 15-year-old girl was transported to Northridge Hospital Medical Center. A 5-year-old boy also in the car was not injured, Ferrier said. The names of the children were not released, and their relation to Berruelos was not known. All live in North Hollywood, Ferrier said.

Berruelos will be charged with causing the accident because he appeared to be driving too fast for road conditions, the officer said.

The first vehicle in the pileup was driven by Joan Weissenberg, 36, of West Hills, Ferrier said. She sustained minor injuries and was taken to St. Joseph’s, but her six passengers were not hurt, he said.

The driver of the middle car, Charles Tanner, 53, of Simi Valley, was uninjured. His wife, Joan, 52, suffered moderate injuries but was not hospitalized, Ferrier said. A 12-year-old daughter had moderate injuries and was airlifted to Childrens Hospital, he said.