Woman killed in crash triggered by dog loose on 94 freeway

SAN DIEGO - A woman was killed in a chain-reaction crash triggered by a loose dog in lanes of state Route 94 near downtown San Diego today.

Three cars were involved in the crash, which was first reported just after 10:30 a.m. on westbound Route 94 near 25th Street.

A Ford F-150 owned by the San Diego Humane Society was parked in the median of the freeway with the driver and a passenger still inside, preparing to capture a dog when the animal ran into lanes of traffic, a California Highway Patrol dispatcher told City News Service.

Multiple cars stopped and swerved, including a Toyota Camry with three occupants that braked and came to a stop in the No. 1 lane, the dispatcher said.

A Dodge truck, also in the No. 1 lane, swerved into the median to avoid the Camry, and was struck in the right rear corner by a GMC Yukon towing a trailer that was unable to stop in time.

The force of the impact pushed the Dodge into the Camry, which in turn pushed the Camry into the Humane Society pickup, according to the dispatcher.

In the aftermath of the accident, it wasn't immediately clear how many cars were involved, but responding fire crews realized the Camry, which at some point had moved to the right shoulder of the freeway, was also part of the crash and launched a rescue operation for that car's occupants, according to a CHP incident log.

A 53-year-old woman in the back seat of the Camry sustained a major head injury and was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries, the dispatcher said.

The woman's identity wasn't immediately released.

Three other people, including two from the Camry and one from the GMC, were also hospitalized.