1 hospitalized, 7 miles of traffic on 347 after rush hour accident

Southbound commuter traffic on State Route 347 was backed up more than 7 miles from Casa Blanca to Riggs Road at 4:45 p.m. today after a three-vehicle accident sent one person to the hospital and blocked the passing lane.

Bart Graves, spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, said In Maricopa One person, a passenger, was transported to a local hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries.” The crash occurred just after 4:30 p.m

A Gila River Fire Department truck also responded to the scene, damaging three vehicles, one of which, a black BMW sedan, was towed at 4:55 p.m

A witness at the scene said a silver sedan was badly damaged and its windshield was shattered. Some motorists involved in the accident were questioned at the scene by several traffic police officers.

One of the state troopers told reporters at the scene that the accident was a double rear-end collision.

Kylier Werner and Elias Weiss contributed to this report.