Loaded Big Rig Rips Through Median; 3 Hurt

A big rig loaded with aluminum rods cut across the center divider on the Orange Freeway early Monday, causing a pileup that injured three people and shut down the freeway for several hours, the California Highway Patrol said.

A truck driver was traveling south at about 55 m.p.h. on the freeway near Chapman Avenue about 5 a.m. when he ran over some wood debris and lost control of the vehicle, CHP Officer Angel Johnson said.

The big rig went through a center divider wall and struck two cars in the northbound lanes, Johnson said. Two other motorists traveling north who were trying to avoid the trailer collided with each other, she said.

The truck driver, who was not cited, was treated at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton and released, Johnson said. Two other people complained of pain but were not hospitalized.

Morning traffic was halted between Nutwood and Orangethorpe avenues for at least three hours while authorities removed concrete debris and about 800 pounds of aluminum rods, which the big rig had been carrying from La Puente.

The truck was headed to Otay Mesa when the accident happened, Johnson said.