Dump Truck Bed Rises, Hits Overpass : 4-Vehicle Accident Kills 1, Injures 3, Closes I-5 North

A 78-year-old man was killed early Wednesday in a four-vehicle accident that left three people seriously injured and caused a seven-hour closure of the northbound lanes of the Santa Ana Freeway that lasted through the morning rush hour.

The victim, whose name was being withheld pending family notification, was declared dead at Humana-West Anaheim Hospital, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

CHP Officer Paul Caldwell said the elderly man died after his small pickup truck and two other vehicles crashed into the wreckage of a tractor-trailer dump truck that had overturned after striking an overpass about 2:35 a.m. in Buena Park.

Despite the early hour of the collision, the freeway remained closed through the morning commuter rush to allow police time to investigate and clear the wreckage, which blocked the northbound lanes near the Beach Boulevard exit. Commuter traffic was diverted onto the Riverside Freeway, Caldwell said, and though the closure slowed traffic, it did not cause any major stoppages. The northbound lanes were reopened by 9:30 a.m., he said.

The accident occurred when the bed of a dump trailer raised and struck the Manchester Avenue overpass in Buena Park. Caldwell said investigators were still trying to determine what caused the trailer bed to rise.

The tractor-trailer rig was driven by Jesus Navarez, 20, of Ontario. Navarez’s trailer rolled over onto its side and was struck by the man’s pickup truck, Caldwell said. In an effort to avoid the wreck, a Dodge van collided with a semi-trailer truck hauling potato chips. The van, driven by a man identified as Mike Brown, then struck the pickup, Caldwell said.

Both big rigs ended up overturned and blocking all three northbound lanes of traffic, Caldwell said.

He said Navarez and his passenger, Melissa Navarez, 17, both suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene. Brown and a passenger in his van, Wesley M. Burnett, sustained major injuries and were transported to Humana-West Anaheim Hospital, where both were listed in stable condition.

Ed Valiquette, 40, who was driving a Laura Scudders Inc. rig, suffered major injuries and was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was reported in good condition.