A major accident involving two big rigs and a passenger vehicle in the eastbound lanes of the Highway 120 Bypass Thursday morning blocked traffic for hours while first responders worked to extricate those trapped inside of their vehicles and treat those that were injured.
According to the Manteca Fire Department, the accident occurred shortly before noon on Thursday when a tractor-trailer traveling eastbound on the bypass slammed into the back of another tractor-trailer which then pushed that truck into the back of the Nissan Altima.
The accident occurred just west of the Main Street interchange and before the pylons that were installed to prevent last-minute lane changes that have resulted in deaths on that stretch of roadway in the past.
The driver of the truck that started the chain-reaction accident had to be extricated from the vehicle by fire crews that responded to the scene and sustained major injuries. He was transported to a local hospital where his condition was unknown as of press time.
Both the driver of the truck that was slammed into and the driver of the Altima that was subsequently hit both suffered minor injuries.
The accident blocked traffic heading eastbound on the Highway 120 Bypass for hours and created backups that stretched all the way to Tracy – down the entire length of the bypass, onto I-5, and onto Interstate 205.
The California Highway Patrol is in charge of the investigation.
While there is no initial indication that the accident was caused by a last-second lane change, the accident draws a resemblance to an accident that occurred in nearly the same section more than a decade ago when a truck failed to stop for the slowed traffic ahead and ran over the back of a small pickup truck – using it to skate across the adjacent lane, the center divider, and both lanes of oncoming traffic before crashing down on the side of the hill near the Van Ryn almond huller.
That accident, along with many others, prompted Caltrans to install plastic barriers that prevent those lane changes from taking place – which often backs up traffic deeper onto the bypass and creates conditions similar to those that appear to have caused the accident on Thursday.
Data cited by the San Joaquin Council of Governments notes the Bypass has a seven times higher accident rate than similar freeways across the nation.
Work will start next spring on the first of three phases of a $154 million project that is designed to address safety and congestion concerns.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
