LOCAL : 1 Hurt as Forklift Drops on Fwy.
Morning rush hour traffic in the East San Fernando Valley slowed to a crawl today when a forklift fell from a truck on an elevated roadway and plunged onto freeway lanes below, slightly injuring a motorist, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The 7 a.m. accident occurred on the transition road from the southbound Hollywood Freeway to the eastbound Ventura Freeway, said CHP Officer Colin Patrick.
Patrick said a flatbed truck was traveling on the transition lane when a safety chain snapped, unleashing a forklift tied to the bed. The driver, whose identity was unavailable, lost control of the truck, hitting a guardrail and dumping the forklift over the side of the elevated road.
About 250 bags of cement also spilled off the truck, blocking both lanes of the transition lane, Patrick said.
The truck driver escaped with only slight cuts and bruises. But the forklift dropped into a northbound lane of the Hollywood Freeway where it struck a pickup truck driven by Larry Walsh, officials said. Walsh, whose age and hometown were unavailable, was taken to North Hollywood Medical Center where he was treated and released for unspecified injuries.
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