2 crashes – 1 caused by dog – snarl traffic in Yuba, Sutter

Five people were injured on Friday in two multivehicle crashes in Yuba-Sutter, one of which caused by a driver braking for a dog, the California Highway Patrol said.

The afternoon crash on Highway 99 south of Live Oak snarled traffic for more than an hour.

The morning crash on Highway 65 near Wheatland delayed traffic for nearly an hour.

The CHP said four people were injured in a four-vehicle accident just after 4 p.m. when a 64-year-old Gridley woman stopped her vehicle on Highway 99 north of Cutting Avenue to let a dog pass.

Juana Castenada, driving a 2001 Toyota Tacoma, inadvertently set off a series of vehicle collisions that sent her to the hospital with major injuries to her head and chest, the CHP said.

Adam Dixon, 23, of Yuba City, directly behind Castenada, was unable to avoid colliding with Castenada's vehicle. Dixon suffered minor back pain, but was not hospitalized, the CHP said.

Travis Mascadri, 28, of Glenn, was driving his Ford F-650 behind Dixon and was also unable to avoid a collision. Mascadri drove onto the right shoulder to avoid Dixon's vehicle.

However, Castenada's vehicle was still stopped when Mascadri re-entered the traffic lane and his vehicle "T-boned" Castenda's vehicle. The collision forced both vehicles into the northbound lane and on-coming traffic, the CHP said.

Mascadri suffered minor back and shoulder pain.

Timothy McIsaac, 70, of Davis, heading north on Highway 99, tried to avoid Castenada and Mascadri, but collided with both vehicles, the CHP said.

Bia McIsaac, a passenger, suffered minor rib pain and was taken to Rideout Memorial Hospital in Marysville.

There was no word on the dog's condition.

In the earlier accident, at 9:23 a.m., John Post, 51, of Yuba City was driving a 2012 GMC truck north on Highway 65 when he stopped to make a left turn on to Dry Valley Levee Road, just outside of Wheatland.

David Caudillo, 26, of Wheatland, said he was driving behind Post in a 1997 Dodge minivan when Post braked.

"I stopped, and the yellow truck behind me clipped me and rolled over," Caudillo said. "I jumped out, because I was worried about him."

Behind Caudillo, Jonathan Huggins, 49, of Rocklin, was driving the 1996 Ford Ranger truck, which continued after clipping the van and ran into the back of Post's truck, causing the Ranger to roll over and come to rest on its side on northbound Highway 65.

At the same time, Krystal Humphrey, 29, of Oroville was headed south on 65 approaching Dry Creek Levee Road in a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer and swerved off the highway to avoid the accident, going down an embankment and into a tree on the west side of the highway.

Humphrey, who said she had pain in her arm, was taken to Rideout Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. No one else was injured.

The accident closed northbound Highway 65 for about 45 minutes, while the CHP rerouted traffic going south to Dry Creek Levee Road.

All lanes were reopened by 10:15 a.m.