An early morning accident Thursday at a railroad crossing on Highway 88 near Sutter Creek Ranchos Road caused traffic, but no injuries. Photo by: Bill Lavallie

There were no injuries in a spectacular crash on Highway 88 near Sutter Creek Thursday morning, when a school bus traveling eastbound stopped at the railroad crossing and an approaching motorist in a 1995 Dodge pickup truck braked suddenly.

Motorists behind the Dodge were not prepared for the sudden stop, leading to a wreck in which one vehicle was flipped onto its side. Another 1995 Dodge pickup truck, rammed into the first Dodge. The driver of a 2006 Chevrolet trailing behind the action, 34-year-old Elizabeth Saravia of Ione, braked but couldn't avoid skidding into the pickup in front of her. The pickup was sandwiched between two vehicles, became airborne and spun around, coming to rest in the roadway on its side. The overturned truck's occupant, Gary Ballard, 46, of Pine Grove, was uninjured.

The accident blocked traffic in the eastbound lane, and traffic control was required for about an hour.

The California Highway Patrol was still investigating the crash at press time.

Rainy weather wasn't a contributing factor during a minor injury accident Monday morning along Highway 88 east of Pine Grove Volcano Road, where the driver of a 2006 Toyota paused in the westbound lane to allow a friend's vehicle to turn left onto the eastbound lane of the highway.

The driver of a trailing 1989 Jeep, 18-year-old Cody Bradford of Pioneer, didn't notice the slowing Toyota and rear-ended it, causing the Toyota's driver, 48-year-old Lori Levi of Pine Grove, minor neck pain, for which she declined medical treatment when emergency responders arrived.

There were three non-injury accidents last Friday, including a hit and run on Sutter Creek Volcano Road, where the driver of a 1995 Ford truck fled the scene of a collision.