Local News in Brief : 24 Hurt in Series of Freeway Crashes

The reckless driver of a stolen van set off a series of accidents in which 24 people were injured, 23 vehicles damaged and the southbound Golden State Freeway near Castaic closed for two hours Monday, the California Highway Patrol said.

The mayhem began about 8 p.m. Sunday when the driver of the van, which had been reported stolen in San Diego a day earlier, attempted to pass a car by driving south on the center emergency lane, Officer Ralph Elvira said. The van crashed into the center railing, then rebounded across the freeway and rolled down a 300-foot embankment, ejecting and seriously injuring its two occupants before exploding into flames and igniting a 5-acre brush fire, Elvira said.

After traffic backed up for more than a mile, a tractor-trailer rig carrying tomatoes lost its brakes shortly after midnight and crashed into the slow moving vehicles, damaging at least 17 cars. A few moments later, two other tractor-trailer rigs crashed into the accident scene, authorities said.

The injured motorists were taken to four area hospitals, where the majority were treated and released, but at least three remained hospitalized.

The driver of the stolen van, who was not identified, will be arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto and for reckless driving when he recovers, Elvira said.