Rig Flips, Backs Up Traffic at Rush Hour

A produce truck flipped over on the Moorpark Freeway early Thursday, forcing the closure of the northbound lanes for two hours and snarling rush-hour traffic on the nearby Ventura Freeway.

The 8:30 a.m. accident on a bridge over Paige Lane caused a chain-reaction crash involving three other vehicles, authorities said.

No one was injured.

However, the accident caused a mile-long traffic pileup on the northbound side of the freeway, prompting some frustrated drivers to turn around by cutting across the unguarded median to the southbound lanes, authorities said.

Traffic also backed up for more than a mile in each direction on the nearby Ventura Freeway, and was heavy on Erbes Road, which runs parallel to the Moorpark Freeway.

California Department of Transportation crews have been repaving on- and off-ramps of the Moorpark Freeway for the past month and were working at the Janss Road exit when the accident occurred just a few yards away, said Caltrans engineer Raul Amavisca.

The outside lane of the freeway was closed because of the construction work, forcing traffic to merge into the middle and inside lanes near the Paige Lane bridge, Amavisca said.

The driver of the produce truck, Dan Flack, 42, was traveling about 45 to 50 m.p.h. when he attempted to switch lanes, said CHP Officer Dustin B. Ferguson.

Flack, however, misjudged the distance between his truck and the car in front of him and swerved at the last minute to avoid hitting the vehicle.

The truck then rammed into a guard rail, careened across the freeway on two wheels, struck two cars and then turned over on its side, Ferguson said.

One of the cars hit by Flack’s truck collided with a third car--a stretch limousine--but caused only minor damage.

None of the passengers in any of the vehicles required medical care.

“Everyone was very fortunate,” Ferguson said. “This could have been avoided if there had been a lot more distance between (Flack’s truck) and the cars in front of him.”

A shaken Flack, standing nearby, said he had slammed on his brakes, “but they went all the way to the floor and I just kept rolling. . . . I took off toward the guard rail hoping to slow down, and I bounced back into traffic.”

He said he was grateful no one was hurt.

“I’m embarrassed,” he said. “My heart is sick.”

Flack, who works for Berry Man Inc. in Santa Barbara, said that he was on his way from the Los Angeles produce market to Moorpark with a load of peaches, lettuce, bell peppers and other perishables when the accident occurred.

California Highway Patrol officials said there have been no other major accidents along the Moorpark Freeway since Caltrans began working on the ramps on May 24.

Caltrans spokesman Rick Holland said he was also unaware of any other accidents during this period.

The $283,000 freeway repair project is expected to be completed by the end of this month.