Debris leads to multi-car pileup on 5 Freeway in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake area

A multi-vehicle crash left the southbound side of the 5 Freeway closed for about two hours through the Silverlake area of Los Angeles Tuesday morning.

The pileup began with a single-vehicle crash into the center divider just before 2:30 a.m. that left debris on the freeway lanes near Fletcher Drive, according to the California Highway Patrol's traffic incident log.

Video shows several other vehicles then crashing as they tried to avoid the debris. One car even ended up on its side and slid several feet down the freeway after hitting another vehicle.

There was no immediate word on what may have caused the initial crash or what injuries were suffered in the following collisions.

The incidents prompted the CHP to issue a Sigalert for the closure of all southbound lanes after estimating as many as nine vehicles, including a semi-truck, became involved in collisions.

Southbound traffic was being taken off the freeway at Glendale Boulevard as heavy delays began to build.

The freeway was cleared and lanes reopened around 4:30 a.m.