Crash on 170 kills 1, hurts 9

A motorcyclist was killed and at least nine other people suffered minor injuries Wednesday in a chain-reaction freeway accident in North Hollywood that involved an MTA bus and more than half a dozen other vehicles, authorities said.

A 4-foot section of the center divider on the 170 Freeway just north of Burbank Boulevard was wiped out in the accident, which occurred shortly after 6 p.m. and spilled over from the freeway’s northbound lanes to the southbound side.

The motorcyclist, pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, was not identified but was described as a man in his early 20s.

Authorities said none of the nine people, including the bus driver, taken to hospitals appeared to be seriously hurt.

Leland Tang, a California Highway Patrol spokesman, said the chain reaction began when the MTA bus and a minivan traveling north each tried to move into the same lane. At that point, the bus, which was being driven to a Sun Valley bus yard and had no passengers, ran into the center divider.

Authorities said that at some point the motorcyclist, who also was traveling north, either collided with the bus or skidded after hitting his brakes to try to avoid a collision.

The motorcyclist was thrown over the freeway divider and landed in a southbound lane, where he and his vehicle were run over by a full-size van. His body remained under the van for several hours, until authorities brought in special equipment to raise the vehicle.

Authorities said chunks of concrete debris from the divider, some described as nearly the size of basketballs, flew into about six vehicles, causing further damage and shaking up motorists.

Tang said CHP investigators had not determined whether any drivers would be charged.

All southbound lanes of the freeway were closed for about 35 to 40 minutes.

Some lanes remained closed on the northbound and southbound sides until late at night, creating massive backups.

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stuart.silverstein@latimes.com