Freeway Crash Causes 20-Mile Jam

Traffic along the southbound lanes of the San Diego Freeway was jammed for about 20 miles at 7 a.m. Friday in the aftermath of a crash and truck fire five hours earlier in Laguna Hills.

The California Highway Patrol said the lengthy cleanup of the 2 a.m. accident near the Alicia Parkway exit of Interstate 5 had traffic backed up for about 11 miles to the Costa Mesa Freeway by 6 a.m. and all the way to the Garden Grove Freeway interchange by 7 a.m.

Orange County Fire Department’s hazardous-materials team was called to the scene when officials feared some drums in the back of the burning truck contained dangerous chemicals. It was later learned, however, that the drums held ground glass.

CHP spokesman Ken Daily said the accident occurred about 1,000 feet north of Alicia Parkway when Ramon Jose Bernardo, 34, of San Diego, driving a two-axle truck similar to a moving van, drifted off the freeway’s right lane and onto the shoulder. There, Robert Lawrence Prible, 39, of San Clemente was working under the hood of his 1968 Buick, which was stopped on the side of the freeway.

The crash caused the Buick to jump forward, pushing Prible into the engine area of his car, Daily said. The car continued to roll into some ice plant, where Prible was thrown clear. He sustained cuts, bruises and other minor injuries, Daily said.

The crash caused the truck’s right fuel tank to rupture and burst into flames, Daily said. By the time firefighters arrived, the vehicle was engulfed in flames and had spilled burning fuel into a storm drain.

The cleanup required shutting down the southbound side of the freeway to one and two lanes for several hours. Workers cleared the scene at 7:42 a.m., but the residual backup from the accident continued throughout the morning commute hours, according to the CHP.