Chain-Reaction Crash of 7 Trucks Closes Freeway
Seven big-rig trucks collided in a chain-reaction crash on the Golden State Freeway north of Lake Hughes Road on Tuesday, jamming traffic for several hours.
The tractor-trailers were all driving north in the No. 3 lane from the center divider just before 2 p.m., when the first truck in line suddenly slowed down. The second truck also braked, but the trailing vehicles did not--triggering the chain-reaction collision, said Officer Karen Faciane, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol.
“In my experience, I haven’t seen seven big-rigs pile up in an accident,” said Faciane, a 19-year veteran of the CHP.
Two of the drivers were taken by ambulance to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital after suffering minor cuts and bruises and were released, said hospital spokeswoman Teri Sullivan.
All northbound lanes on the freeway were closed for two hours, causing a traffic jam for several miles. Most motorists were directed to the Lake Hughes Road exit, but many of the vehicles were stuck on the freeway until the slow lane and right shoulder reopened to traffic just before 4 p.m., Faciane said.
It took more than three hours for towing crews to remove the big-rigs from the freeway and all the lanes were reopened by 5:30 p.m., she said.
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