An unsafe lane change is being blamed for causing a four-vehicle accident that sent at least one person to the hospital Friday afternoon in Santa Maria.
A southbound vehicle on Broadway between Enos Drive and Battles Road attempted to change a lane shortly after 1:30 p.m., hitting another car, said Sgt. Russ Mengel of the Santa Maria Police Department.
The impact caused a car to spin across the center divider and into the northbound lanes, where it struck two other vehicles, Mengel said.
Santa Maria Fire Department and American Medical Response crews also responded to the scene.
After the crash, three of the vehicles, a sedan and two pickups, sat with various levels of damage while awaiting the arrival of tow trucks. The fourth vehicle had minor damage and was driven away, Mengel said.
Police said the northbound lanes of Broadway between Battles Road remained closed for more than an hour.
Vehicles travel at approximately 35 or 40 mph on that stretch of roadway.
“It’s just a minor decision that can have substantial consequences,” Mengel said.
Earlier, police had a report of a wrong-way driver near Betteravia Road, but that vehicle wasn’t involved in the collision, according to Mengel.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.