NONDRIVING RAIN STALLS MOTORISTS; STORM CAUSES CRASHES, CLOSURE OF I-5 STRETCH.

Byline: Erin Gebroe Daily News Staff Writer

Down came the rain and washed the commuters out Monday morning as the California Highway Patrol untangled 15 crashes and collisions in the valley and shut down a slick 30-mile stretch of the Golden State Freeway.

The storm, one of the largest of the season, caused five times the number of crashes normally experienced on Santa Clarita Valley freeways on an average Monday morning, said CHP spokesman Doug Sweeney.

There were no fatalities, and only one crash resulted in major injuries. ``I guess we were just lucky that there weren't more serious accidents,'' Sweeney said.

Countywide, there were 203 freeway crashes and collisions from 5 to 9 a.m., triple the regular average of 67, said CHP Officer Wendy Moore.

The Santa Clarita sheriff's station was busier than normal, too, with reports of eight traffic crashes in the city by the afternoon, said Deputy Michael Shapiro.

``Most of the accidents occurred in Canyon Country and Newhall,'' Shapiro said.

Snow levels plunged to 2,000 feet, prompting the closure at 9:30 a.m. of the Golden State Freeway from Lake Hughes Road to Lebec Road near Frazier Park. Motorists sat at a standstill for two hours until the CHP started escorting them down the highway.

Despite the chaos and the flood advisory issued by the National Weather Service, the rain brought some welcome moisture to the Santa Clarita Valley.

Last month, the valley saw 0.65 of an inch of rainfall, compared with 22 inches in February of the previous year, according to figures from the Newhall County Water District.

The water agency takes the measurements at its Newhall station.

In the most serious crash on a Santa Clarita Valley freeway, Palmdale resident Ruperto Casillas Jr., 52, might have lost both of his legs, Sweeney said.

Casillas was heading south about 11 a.m. in the slow lane on the Antelope Valley Freeway when he lost control of his car, which spun out and hit the metal guardrail broadside.

``The officers just think he lost control because it was raining really hard and he may have hydroplaned,'' Sweeney said. ``Witnesses say he wasn't speeding. He was going slower than 65.''

Another crash involved a Toys R Us driver whose truck overturned about 9 a.m. and went off the side of the southbound Golden State Freeway at Calgrove Boulevard. The driver was not injured, Sweeney said.

The storm, which originated in the Gulf of Alaska, was expected to move through the area in 12 to 24 hours.

ROAD CLOSURES

SANTA CLARITA - Roadwork is under way at the following areas in the Santa Clarita Valley and could effect traffic:

Wiley Canyon Road from Powell Street to Calgrove Boulevard remains closed through April for realignment of the road.

Valencia Boulevard west of McBean Parkway - street improvements including a right-turn pocket and utility crossing are being done for a new development. The work is expected to be finished by the end of the month.

Southbound Golden State Freeway at McBean Parkway, the off-ramp will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today for landscaping.

Southbound I-5 No. 1 lane, south of Gorman - closed from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. today through Thursday for center median repair.

Northbound I-5 in Santa Clarita - No. 4 lane from Gavin Canyon Bridge to Calgrove Boulevard off-ramp is closed Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for repairs.

Southbound I-5 in Castaic from Lake Hughes Road to CHP Road - No. 4 lane closed from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today for repairs.

Southbound I-5 on-ramp at McBean Parkway, closed Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for landscape maintenance.

Southbound I-5 at Gavin Canyon Bridge in Newhall - No. 4 lane closed from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday for repairs.

Southbound I-5 off-ramp at Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia - closed from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday for repairs.

Southbound I-5 from Gavin Canyon Bridge to Weldon Canyon overcrossing in Newhall - No. 4 lane closed from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday for repairs.

Southbound Antelope Valley Freeway from Lost Canyon Bridge to Santa Clara River Bridge in Canyon Country, No. 3 lane closed from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday for repairs.

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--Color) CHP Officer Michelle Esposito informs motorists of the closure of the northbound Golden State Freeway at Lake Hughes Road in Castaic on Monday morning.

(2--Color) Motorists jam Lake Hughes Road in Castaic waiting for the northbound Golden State Freeway to reopen after a two-hour closure.

(3--Color) Wayne Carnes of Visalia tries to keep dry while talking with another stranded motorist.

(4) A line of cars and trucks exits the northbound Golden State Freeway after it was closed Monday.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News

BOX: ROAD CLOSURES (See text)