Major injuries averted in 3-car collision east of Planada

A three-car collision on Highway 140, including a head-on sideswipe, resulted in minor injuries Friday east of Planada, according to California Highway Patrol.

First responders were dispatched to Highway 140, about a mile east of North Cunningham Road, at about 5:45 p.m. to reports of a three-vehicle collision with injuries, CHP Merced Officer Steven Lewis said.

Lewis said initial reports indicate a vehicle driven by an Atwater resident traveling west drifted over the broken yellow lane line and side-swiped a vehicle driven by a Merced resident traveling east.

The cars spun out and the eastbound vehicle collided with another vehicle traveling behind it that was driven by a San Francisco resident, Lewis said.

Injuries appeared minor, but Lewis said paramedics were still assessing the extent of injuries Friday evening.

Traffic on Highway 140 was reduced to one-lane until about 7:30 p.m.

This story was originally published January 12, 2018 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Major injuries averted in 3-car collision east of Planada."