A woman was killed Tuesday after her car went underneath a semi truck on the northbound side of Interstate 5, according to CHP officials.
The Mercedes sedan crashed into the back of a big rig, going under the truck, around 12:25 p.m., near the I-5 and Highway 14 truck route connector, according to Austin Bennett, a spokesman with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
“For unknown reasons, the Mercedes failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway and struck the rear end of a gray International truck/tractor combination that was stopped on the right shoulder,” read the official CHP report of the collision. “The impact was fatal, and she was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Officer Moises Marroquin with the California Highway Patrol Traffic Management Office said emergency officials declared the woman dead at the scene of the crash.
Although the victim was described in the CHP report as a woman in her 30’s, the identification of the victim has not yet been released, pending the notification of next of kin.
Law enforcement investigators were still working Tuesday afternoon to determine the cause of the fatal collision; the preliminary report indicated investigators are looking into drugs as a possible factor.
A SigAlert was issued for the area at 12:36 p.m.
“All northbound I-5 to Highway 14 truck lanes and all CA-210 westbound to 5 northbound truck lanes are currently closed,” Marroquin said at 1:10 p.m.
However, by 3:30 p.m., CHP officials had announced the SigAlert had been lifted and all lanes had been reopened.
