3 severely hurt as crash shuts down southbound Highway 101 in Petaluma

A multivehicle crash near Petaluma severely injured three people Saturday afternoon and shut down all southbound lanes of Highway 101 around the area, authorities said. 

The California Highway Patrol responded to a crash just after 1 p.m., department logs show. 

The driver of a GMC Acadia sport utility vehicle had been speeding and driving recklessly southbound down the highway, north of East Washington Boulevard, CHP officer David deRutte said. The driver then crashed into a big rig truck, losing control of the SUV as it rolled over and collided with a third vehicle, deRutte said. 

Two of the three people in the SUV were ejected, deRutte said. All three were transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries. CHP logs show that CPR was also attempted at the scene. 

All lanes were clogged with debris around 1:15 p.m., CHP logs show. All southbound lanes were closed as of 2 p.m., with drivers asked to avoid the area.