Three Die in Fiery Truck Accident

Randy Walton

Contributor

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

A fiery truck accident on Interstate 5 killed three people and injured at least ten last Friday evening. The chain-reaction accident occurred on southbound lanes near Santa Clarita, closing the southbound lanes.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the accident occurred inside a southbound tunnel that is used primarily by big-rig truckers and caused a fire that was so intense that firefighters could not explore the tunnel beyond its opening.

Fire burned throughout the day Saturday, and explosions rocked the tunnel. Molten trucks that had been reduced to hulks blocked it. Chunks of debris and cargo, including produce, littered the road. A woman waited anxiously to learn if her trucker husband had been trapped inside.

Coroner's official Ed Winter said the three bodies that were recovered had not been identified. "We are methodically going through the wreckage vehicle by vehicle" looking for other bodies, he said.

The resulting traffic jam backed up for miles.

Interstate 5 is of vital commercial importance, but detours and disruptions along its 1,381-mile length from the Mexican border to Canada have become increasingly common. Many have been attributed to steadily increasing traffic and a steady deterioration of roadways.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Tractor-trailer accidents.