Separate Glendale crashes cause injuries, snarl Monday commute

The morning commute proved to be challenging Monday after two separate traffic crashes -- including a car that smashed into a glass storefront -- tied up public safety resources and resulted in several injuries.

Of the five people who sustained injuries in the collisions, two were transported to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

The first collision was reported just after 7 a.m. at Central Avenue and Chevy Chase Drive after two cars collided in the intersection, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz.

One of the cars careened into the side of the West Coast Cash building, shattering the glass storefront.

Firefighters had to cut off the passenger-side doors to gain access to the two female occupants, prompting police to shut down the intersection.

One of the women suffered serious injuries and had to undergo emergency surgery, Lorenz said.

The second collision occurred at Mountain Street and Verdugo Road, where a truck carrying concrete, sand and cinderblocks was traveling downhill and lost brake function, Lorenz said.

The motorist noticed he was approaching a busy intersection with vehicle and pedestrian traffic, so he decided to purposely pull the truck into the hillside, prompting the truck to rollover, Lorenz said.

The motorist and a passenger were able to escape, but had to kick open a window to remove a third passenger when a fire broke out, Lorenz added.

The motorist and his passengers suffered minor injuries, Glendale Fire spokeswoman Brandy Villanueva said.

Police are looking into with whether faulty brakes and cargo overloading played a factor in the crash, Lorenz said.

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Follow Veronica Rocha on Google+ and on Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA.