At least one person injured, transported to hospital, after a 3-vehicle crash on westbound Highway 52 in Santee.

Rescuers had to cut the door off of a small car to free an injured driver Thursday morning after a three-vehicle crash on a busy East County freeway.

The smash-up was reported at about 8 a.m. on westbound Highway 52 east of the interchange with state Route 125, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash involved a small white two-door coupe, a gray four-door sedan and a dark pickup.

All three vehicles were heavily damaged and blocked the two lanes nearest the center divider, but traffic was able to drive by slowly in the other lane.

The driver of the white coupe was removed from the car, placed on a gurney and taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The extent of the person’s injuries were not known.

There was no information on the conditions of the occupants of the other vehicles.

The three wrecks were towed and all lanes of the freeway had reopened by 9:15 a.m.