3 hospitalized as crash shuts 3 lanes on the southbound 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa

Three people were hospitalized and three lanes of the southbound 55 Freeway were blocked for about an hour in Costa Mesa as a result of a crash possibly involving three vehicles, authorities said.

The Costa Mesa Fire Department said about 2:50 p.m. that it was conducting a heavy rescue on the southbound 55 Freeway at Victoria Street, which included a victim who had to be extricated after becoming trapped inside one of the vehicles.

The Fire Department responded to a call about a crash on the freeway about 2:35 p.m., Capt. Joseph Noceti said, adding it appeared a truck rear ended a Chevrolet sedan, which also had front-end damage.

Three people were taken to local trauma centers with a varying degree of injuries, the Department said.

The crash occurred just past 2 p.m., according to a California Highway Patrol incident log, which initially received a call of a crash involving three vehicles.

Officers called for the shutdown of the three right lanes on the freeway while authorities cleared the wreckage, according to the log.

All lanes were cleared about 3:30 p.m., the log said.