‘A terrible drive’: Multiple crashes involving big rigs snarl traffic on 5 Freeway
Motorists on the 5 Freeway had "such a terrible drive" Wednesday morning, according to KTLA traffic reporter Ginger Chan, after multiple crashes involving semi-trucks brought traffic to a virtual standstill.
The first crash was reported shortly before 5 a.m. on the southbound span of the 5 at Roxford Street in Sylmar and involved a big rig and another vehicle that flipped over the center divider and ended up on the northbound side, according to KTLA 5's Rich Prickett in Sky5.
Prickett described the scene as "pretty dramatic" as first responders arrived at the scene and commuters slowly maneuvered around the crash site; the vehicle that hopped the center divider was seen pinned between the divider and the trailer of the semi-truck.
It is believed that up to seven cars were involved in the crash, Prickett said, adding that a small fluid spill was also seen leaking from the big rig.
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A SigAlert was issued for the area indicating that the backup on the southbound side of the 5 extended past the 14 Freeway, which itself was backed up to the Sand Canyon exit immediately after the crash.
As of 8:15 a.m., the delays on the 14 South extended all the back to Soledad Canyon Road.
The conditions of the motorists involved in the collision are not known.
To add to the early morning complications along the 5 Freeway, a car fire was reported on the northbound side not far from the first crash, which created another delay – albeit a minor one – for drivers heading out of the San Fernando Valley.
A second crash involving a big rig occurred about two hours later at 6:45 a.m. near the 5 Freeway's interchange with the 118 Freeway in the city of San Fernando.
Video from Sky5 showed a semi-truck with a mangled front end, with the other vehicle that appeared to be involved in the collision seen not far away on the shoulder of the freeway. The extent of the damage to that vehicle was not immediately clear.
According to Prickett, the driver of the big rig had to be extricated from the truck by first responders and was rushed to a hospital, reportedly in critical condition.
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Authorities blocked off every lane on the southbound side except for the carpool lane, causing traffic to be backed up for miles.
"Anyone going through the Newhall Pass and making their way through the northern portion of the San Fernando Valley is really going to have a tough time getting around these crashes," Prickett said at 7:15 a.m. "The southbound side of the 5 is really affected as you make your way towards the 118 Freeway."
The scene of the crash that occurred at Roxford Street hours prior had yet to be cleared by that time.
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A SigAlert was issued for the affected stretch of the freeway that is expected to last until at least 9:15 a.m.
It wasn't just the 5 Freeway that was backed up in the Valley on Wednesday morning; two separate crashes on the 210 Freeway — including one involving an overturned semi-truck filled with oranges — also occurred early Wednesday, causing lanes to be shut down.
