VALLEY ROUNDUP : Burbank : Freeway Collision Injures Cab Driver
A taxi driver was in critical condition Tuesday after his cab was struck by a tractor-trailer that overturned and spilled diesel fuel on the Golden State Freeway, closing it for several hours.
Mkrtich Oganesian, 41, was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Burbank, where he was in intensive care with a head injury, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Oganesian, who was not wearing a seat belt, was driving north at 1:45 a.m. Tuesday when he apparently missed the Alameda Avenue exit, said Officer Jordan Van Meter of the California Highway Patrol.
He then began backing up on the freeway toward his missed exit.
“[Oganesian] lost control, went over a curb and went into northbound traffic and was struck by the big rig,” Van Meter said.
The tractor-trailer driver suffered minor injuries, he said. The truck overturned after hitting the taxi, spilling about 20 gallons of diesel fuel.
Traffic lanes were reopened at 5:45 a.m.
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