7-Truck Pileup on Golden State Snarls Traffic

Seven big-rig trucks collided in a chain-reaction crash Tuesday on the Golden State Freeway north of Lake Hughes Road, jamming traffic for several hours.

The tractor-trailers were all heading 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 following 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. “I’ve seen more than three pile up, but not seven.”

One rig’s engine caught fire, she said, but flames were quickly extinguished by Los Angeles County firefighters.

Two truck drivers were taken by ambulance to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia, where they were treated for minor cuts and bruises, 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 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; all the lanes were reopened by 5:30 p.m., she said.

“You don’t rush these things,” Faciane said. “It takes a long time to haul these rigs off of the freeway, regardless if they are empty or full.”