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Highway crash: A woman was pinned in her car Monday when a Golden Gate Transit bus hit the car and knocked it off the freeway in San Rafael.

• A car passed a transit bus as it was entering the freeway, and then re-entered the lane in front of it.

• The bus rear-ended the car, knocking it off the freeway and down an embankment.

• The car rolled over and landed on the driver’s side, trapping the driver inside.

• Paramedics extricated the driver from the car and took her to a hospital with arm and shoulder injuries.

The accident occurred at about 11:40 a.m., according to a report int he Marin Independent Journal.

California Highway Patrol officer Eric Hohmeister said 49-year-old Ana Alvarez of Novato was driving a 2004 Ford Focus northbound on Highway 101 when a Golden Gate Transit bus entered the freeway at about 50 mph from North San Pedro Road.

Alvarez passed the bus as it was entering the freeway and then reentered the lane in front of it, Hohmeister said.

The bus driver — 26-year-old Rahman Natouf of Hercules - slowed the bus down to about 30 mph but rear-ended the car. The impact knocked the car about 15 feet off of the roadway, where it struck a guardrail and then overturned.

The car landed on the driver’s side, pinning Alvarez inside. It took firefighters about an hour to extricate the victim and move her car.

Alvarez was taken by ground ambulance to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Rafael to be evaluated and treated. She was suffering pain in her arm and shoulder. The nature and extent of her injuries was not reported.

There were 10 passengers on the bus at the time of the accident. Firefighters conducted “patient assessments” with the bus passengers as a precaution, but no injuries were reported.

Natouf has been driving for Golden Gate Transit for two years.

The accident is still under investigation.

Bus Accident Statistics

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), almost 8,000 people are injured and 19 killed in bus (motorcoach) crashes every year.

The number of fatalities in the first five months of 2011 far exceeded this average. During those first five months of 2011, 33 people were killed in 20 bus crashes, according to the nonprofit Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

Between 2008 and 2010, there were more than 90 bus crashes, resulting in more than 100 deaths.

Those fatalities were primarily passengers on the buses.

San Rafael Transit Bus Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented motor vehicle accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A man was killed after a tree fell on Highway 13 in Oakland. (Photo: San Francisco Chronicle)

The rainstorm that has drenched the Bay Area all week has caused many car accidents, including a fatal crash in Oakland after a large tree fell onto Highway 13 early Thursday morning.

• A huge tree cracked and fell across the freeway that cuts through the Oakland hills.

• An oncoming car hit the tree. The occupants of the car exited the vehicle and went to the right shoulder.

• Then a pickup truck hit the tree, the car, and the driver of the car — a 19-year-old from Washington state.

• The teen was killed. His three passengers and the truck driver were hospitalized.

The deadly highway crash — shortly before 4:30 a.m. — was part of a series of accidents that occurred after the tree fell, according to a report in the Oakland Tribune.

California Highway Patrol officer Sam Morgan said the tree fell south of Park Boulevard at 4:21 a.m. and landed across both southbound lanes of the roadway. That section of Highway 13 cuts through a heavily wooded area of the Oakland hills.

Shortly after the tree fell, a 1996 Toyota Camry — driven by a 19-year-old man from Washington state — hit the tree in the far left lane and then came to a stop. The Camry was partly in the traffic lane and partly on the center median, Morgan said.

“It ran into the tree driving up and over it,” CHP Sgt. Kerry Grimes told ABC News. “This tree (trunk) is approximately a foot to a foot and half in diameter.”

Neighbors heard the loud crack when the huge tree broke and fell to the freeway. Then they heard screaming from the accident scene and called 911.

The Camry driver and all three of his passengers got out of the car and walked over to the right shoulder. They were discussing the situation when they saw a pickup truck coming down the road, Grimes said. They scattered to get out of the way. One of them scurried up the embankment adjacent to the freeway.

The truck — driven by a 59-year-old man from Pittsburg — hit the tree, and then the Camry, and then the 18-year-old Camry driver.

“When the truck ran into the tree, it broke the tree in half,” Grimes told ABC News. “The lower half of the tree broke off and was forced up the embankment.”

The broken tree trunk trapped the Camry passenger who had run up the embankment. Oakland firefighters had to use chainsaws to free her, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The driver of the Camry died at the scene. His three passengers suffered minor to moderate injures, as did the pickup truck driver. All four survivors were taken to a hospital to be treated. Their injuries were not life-threatening, according to news reports, but their condition was not known as of midday Thursday.

The victims’ names were not released.

UPDATE: TEEN WHO DIED WAS CAL SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT

The 19-year-old who was killed in the accident on Highway 13 was Kevin Lacanlale of Silverdale, Washington, according to a KOMO News report. Lacanlale had won a prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship to attend the University of California at Berkeley and was pursuing a career in medicine.

Oakland Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

One woman died and another woman was critically injured in a multi-car accident Thursday afternoon on Highway 49 in Auburn.

• A 61-year-old woman who was speeding in a Mustang convertible veered into oncoming traffic and hit a Nissan Altima head-on.

• The Mustang then hit another car, went airborne, and hit two more cars before it flipped over and came to rest on its side.

• The Mustang driver died at the scene. The 60-year-old Altima driver was hospitalized in critical condition.

The fatal accident occurred at about 4 p.m., according to a report in the Grass Valley Union.

The California Highway Patrol said witnesses had reported a 2003 Ford Mustang convertible - driven by 60-year-old Janie Elaine Szymanski of Grass Valley — driving recklessly and at high speed on southbound Highway 49.

The Mustang crossed the center line on Highway 49 and veered into oncoming traffic in the northbound lane, where it crashed head-on into a Nissan Altima driven by 61-year-old Kathleen Keith of Auburn.

The Mustang spun out of control and hit three more vehicles, the Auburn Journal reported. Grass Valley resident Tammy Saling told the Journal that Szymanski’s Mustang flew through the air after it hit the second vehicle. The Mustang was still airborne when it hit Saling’s car, then it flipped over and landed on its side. Both the Szymanski and Keith vehicles were “demolished,” Saling said.

Szymanski, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from her vehicle and died at the scene.

Keith, who was wearing a seat belt, sustained major injuries and was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center. The CHP initially said Keith’s injuries were not life-threatening, but hospital officials listed her in critical condition as of Friday afternoon.

Placer County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Dena Erwin said the accident was under investigation. She said blood tests for alcohol and drugs would be conducted, as is standard protocol in fatal accidents. Results from those tests were not expected for several weeks.

Auburn Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Four vehicles were involved in a fatal car accident on Highway 12 in Solano County.

Fatal car accident: One man was killed and three other people were hospitalized Wednesday night after a four-vehicle pileup on Highway 12 in Solano County.

• A 65-year-old man in a pickup truck suddenly swerved into oncoming traffic during heavy afternoon commute traffic.

• He crashed head-on into one car and then hit another. The second car spun out and hit a third vehicle.

• The pickup truck driver died at the scene. His passenger and another driver suffered major injuries. A third driver sustained minor injuries.

• Investigators are trying to determine if the man had a medical problem right before the crash.

The rural highway crash occurred at about 5:40 p.m., according to a report in the Napa Valley Register.

The California Highway Patrol said 65-year-old John Woolworth of Napa was driving a 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck westbound on the highway — also called Jameson Canyon Road — at the time of the accident.

Afternoon commute traffic was heavy. CHP officials did not know how fast Woolworth was driving, but eastbound traffic was traveling 45 to 55 mph.

As Woolworth neared Red Top Road — just east of the Napa County line — he swerved across the center line into the eastbound lane. His pickup truck crashed head-on into an eastbound 2000 Mercedes C230 sedan and then struck an eastbound 2008 Honda Civic. The impact forced the Honda into a spin, and it crashed into an eastbound 2000 Ford Taurus, according to the Dixon Patch news site.

Woolworth was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, 76-year-old Gail Bueno of Napa, suffered major injuries. She was transported to the Level II trauma center at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, CHP officials said. She was expected to survive.

The driver of the Mercedes, 63-year-old Molly Fedorchak of Glen Ellen, also suffered major injuries. She was taken to North Bay Medical Center in Fairfield to be treated.

The Honda driver, 41-year-old Ronald Monafo Jr.of Fairfield, suffered minor injuries. He was taken to Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center to be treated.

The Ford Taurus was driven by a Fairfield man who was not injured. His identity was not released.

Police did not know why Woolworth veered across the double yellow line in to oncoming traffic. CHP investigators are looking into the possibility that he suffered some sort of medical emergency before he swerved. Alcohol is not suspected as a factor in the accident.

Solano County Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Auburn Symphony conductor Michael Goodwin was killed in a car accident Tuesday on rain-slicked Highway 20 near Yuba City.

• Auburn Symphony conductor Michael Goodwin was en route to a rehearsal on a narrow, mountain highway when his car lost traction on a sweeping curve.

• The car spun directly into the path of and oncoming SUV.

• The vehicles crashed and slid off the highway and down a 50-foot embankment, where the SUV rolled over and crashed into a tree.

• Goodwin died at the scene. The three occupants of the other vehicle were hospitalized with neck and back pain.

The rural highway accident occurred at about 5:45 p.m., according to a report in the Marysville Appeal-Democrat.

The 65-year-old conductor driving a 2002 Toyota Corolla eastbound on Highway 20 at the time of the accident. He was en route from his home in Oregon House to a 7 p.m. rehearsal in Auburn for a Saturday’s children’s concert.

Before the crash, the Corolla passed several vehicles in the passing lane east of Parks Bar Bridge — about 20 miles east of Yuba City — the Auburn Journal reported. The California Highway Patrol said the vehicle was traveling at an unsafe speed for rainy road conditions when it approached a sweeping curve in the road.

The car lost traction, spun out, and slid directly into the path of an oncoming Honda Ridgeline sports utility vehicle driven by 26-year-old Delta Dawn Armtrout of Browns Valley. The SUV could not avoid slamming into the Corolla.

Both vehicles went off the north side of Highway 20 and slid more than 50 feet down the steep, densely-wooded, muddy embankment. The SUV rolled over crashed into a tree.

Goodwin died at the scene.

Armtrout and her two sons who were riding in the SUV — 15-year-old Michael Armtrout and 6-year-old Brody Armtrout — were pulled from their wrecked car by passing motorists who stopped, climbed down the hill, and carried at least one of the children back up to the highway.

All three of the Armtrout family members complained of back and neck pain and were taken to Rideout Memorial Hospital to be treated.

The CHP said alcohol was not suspected to be a factor in the accident.

Goodwin will be deeply missed by the community. Under his leadership, the size of the orchestra — and its fan base — grew steadily, the Sacramento Bee reported.

“He was a wonderful person, and the Auburn Symphony will never be the same without him,” violinist Judy Bromely said. “He was special for the way he treated people. We had so many top players come and play with us — they did so without pay, and that was because of him.”

Yuba City Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.