Semi-Truck Hits Median, Ties Up Riverside Freeway

A semi-truck heading east on the Riverside Freeway in Anaheim crossed through two lanes of traffic Wednesday and smashed into the center divider after the driver lost control, according to the California Highway Patrol.

No one was hurt in the crash near the Lemon Street exit. The CHP said the truck caused moderate damage to a black Nissan compact it hit on its way into the median.

The truck’s left fuel tank was punctured, causing about 30 gallons of diesel fuel to spill onto the freeway. A Caltrans crew cleaned up the fuel.

The accident, which occurred about 12:50 p.m., shut down the two left lanes on the three-lane highway and backed up traffic for about eight miles to Carmenita Road in Cerritos, the CHP said.

The freeway was cleared about two hours later. Traffic remained slow, exacerbated because the accident occurred in a construction zone.

The truck, which was not pulling a trailer, was traveling about 45 mph when the driver lost control, CHP Officer Denise Medina said.

Ed Goldberg, chief executive of Prodigy Transportation 2000 Inc. in Orange, which owns the truck, said the driver ran over a broken piece of a temporary concrete road barrier, which blew out the left front tire and caused the driver to lose control.

He said the collision caused about $8,000 damage to the truck. “It’s real lucky everyone walked away,” he said.

The CHP is continuing to investigate the accident.