Driver Escapes Burning Car Through Window

A driver in a chain-reaction accident involving a truck and five cars escaped injury Friday by climbing out a window when his crumpled car burst into flames, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The accident resulted in no injuries but caused a five-mile backup during morning traffic on the Simi Valley Freeway.

The 7:45 a.m. crash in the westbound lanes occurred near the Mason Avenue overpass in Chatsworth when a flatbed truck driven by Jose Cruz, 53, of San Fernando struck the rear of a car driven by Larry Ortiz, 25, of Huntington Park, Officer Dave Grajeda said.

Ortiz’s car was pushed into the car ahead of it, causing a chain reaction of accidents involving two other cars, Grajeda said. A fifth car rear-ended the truck.

The accident backed up westbound traffic to the San Diego Freeway interchange in Mission Hills, officers said.

Ortiz told investigators that moments before the crash he saw the truck bearing down on his car in his rear-view mirror. He braced himself and was not hurt when the truck struck his car. Afterward, Grajeda said, the back of Ortiz’s car caught fire, and the flames spread to the truck.

The doors of Ortiz’s car were jammed, so he climbed through the window to escape, Grajeda said.

The accident was under investigation and it was unclear why Cruz could not stop the truck. The truck and Ortiz’s car were total losses, Grajeda said.

The traffic tie-up lasted more than an hour while the blaze was extinguished and the wreckage was cleared, officials said.