32 Injured in Series of Crashes on I-80
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Three crashes on westbound Interstate 80 in Placer County injured 32 people, mostly passengers on three tour buses involved in a pileup Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Three victims suffered major injuries and two were airlifted to hospitals, said Diane Clader, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman. She did not have any details about the injuries.
The crashes, which all occurred within a one-mile stretch of the highway, began about 4 p.m. when a big rig overturned near the town of Alta, spilling 100 gallons of diesel fuel, CHP Officer Richard Ruiz said.
Within minutes, a motorcycle went down about half a mile behind the big rig, Ruiz said. And shortly after that, a tour bus that slowed down as it approached the scene was rear-ended by a car, setting off a chain-reaction pileup that involved two other tour buses, he said.
The three buses were heading from Reno to the Bay Area.
All westbound lanes of Interstate 80 remained closed Sunday evening as authorities cleared the crash sites, Ruiz said.
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