SAN DIEGO – A 55-year-old man was under arrest Thursday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and triggering a seven-vehicle crash in the North Clairemont area, injuring five people, police said.

The accident occurred at the intersection of Genesee Avenue and Appleton Street about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, said San Diego police Officer Frank Cali.

The man was speeding in his southbound 2005 Acura TL when he rear-ended two vehicles in the 5100 block of Genesee Avenue, causing a chain-reaction crash that left seven vehicles damaged and five people injured, police said.

They were treated at the scene and transported to local hospitals.

The Acura driver suffered a fractured vertebrae in the crash, according to Cali, who said he was tested for impaired driving, arrested and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. His name was not immediately released.