Big Rig Accident Causes 6-Hour Freeway Tie-Up
A big rig carrying 45,000 pounds of fruit juice broke an axle on the Santa Ana Freeway, causing a six-hour traffic jam Thursday as vehicles crawled around the trailer, which had separated from the tractor, the California Highway Patrol said.
The CHP issued a SigAlert on the southbound Santa Ana Freeway, north of Harbor Boulevard, at 10:40 a.m. It lasted until 5 p.m.
The tractor-trailer’s 29-year-old driver, who was not identified by authorities, was heading south on the freeway when traffic in front of him halted, CHP officer Juan Alfaro said. The truck hit a curb, causing its two rear tires to break off and roll down the freeway, he said.
The truck broke its axle and rolled to a stop along the freeway shoulder. When a tow truck arrived to pull the tractor-trailer back on to the road, the trailer broke loose, Alfaro said.
Although the cases of fruit juice did not spill on to the freeway, at least two lanes were closed while workers loaded the cargo onto another truck, Alfaro said.
“Meanwhile, traffic was backed up to the (Los Angeles) county line,” about six miles north, he added.
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