Semi-truck slams into traffic in San Diego California

A suspected drunken driver struck a freeway traffic sign Friday morning, starting a chain of events that led to a semi-truck crashing into the back of a stopped car.The incident happened just after 3:30 a.m. on southbound Interstate 805 at University Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.

According to the CHP, a man driving a tan Mazda clipped an active electronic Caltrans sign, knocking it onto the roadway. Several motorists then hit the debris and traffic slowed behind them.

However, a semi-truck did not have enough clearance behind one of the vehicles, and as it swerved to avoid a collision, the truck's trailer slammed directly into the back of a blue Toyota Camry -- which had stopped in the lanes -- and struck at least two other vehicles that also stopped.

The CHP said Navraj Moktan, the driver of the blue Camry, was outside of his car when the trailer struck him and his vehicle. The CHP said the impact "propelled" Moktan toward the right shoulder. He was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital with major injuries.

On Friday afternoon, a family friend told 10News, "Emotionally, we are badly disturbed. He had become a member of this family."Friends and family tell 10News that Moktan has been living in San Diego for the past two years with his wife on a work visa from Nepal. They describe him as a kind, caring and humble man in his late 20s.

On Saturday, family members told 10News Moktan is doing much better. 10News learned he has been upgraded from critical to serious condition.He is undergoing a second surgery on Saturday. It will include plastic surgery on one of his thighs where he has suffered deep wounds.

Moktan's cousin told 10News that he fractured both of his hands and underwent extensive surgery on both Friday and Saturday. The cousin added that doctors say Moktan also cracked one of his femurs.Family members also tell 10News that Moktan has no health insurance since he is living in San Diego on a work visa.