Serious accident near Los Banos backs up traffic on California

Five people were hurt, two of them seriously, in a three-vehicle accident on northbound Interstate 5 just south of the Highway 152 interchange, the California Highway Patrol said.
The accident happened about 9:30 a.m. and backed up northbound traffic on the interstate for some time.
Officer Jesse Lopez, a CHP spokesman in Los Banos, gave these detailsTony Gonsalves Jr., 39, of Manteca was driving a 1996 Toyota Tacoma in the fast lane and spun out. The pickup came to a stop facing southbound in the northbound lane, partially blocking the fast lane.

Roger Simmons Jr., 75, of Sacramento was driving a 2006 Ford F-250 and saw the Tacoma. He swerved to the right to avoid striking the Tacoma.Meanwhile, Troy Allen Thompson, 44, of West Sacramento, was traveling in a 2002 Toyota Sequoia behind the Ford pickup and didn't see the Tacoma. The Sequoia SUV crashed into the Tacoma, then struck the F-250 and overturned.

Thompson and a 37-year-old female passenger were flown to a hospital with major injuries. Two more passengers in the Sequoia, a 9-year-old girl and a 65-year-old woman, received minor injuries.Gonsalves, the driver of the Tacoma, received minor injuries.Lopez said it was unknown whether driving under the influence was involved. Excessive speed did not appear to have been a factor, he said.