A driver died after a loaded Ace Hardware truck fell 100 feet down an embankment off Interstate 5 on Monday. The crash also resulted in an injured California Highway Patrol officer, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Fire Department personnel responded to a “rope-rescue” around 12:41 p.m. on the northbound Interstate 5 north of Templin Highway, according to Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Matheny.
“The driver was (dead on arrival) and the second patient was a CHP officer who first responded to the scene,” he said, adding that the department’s search and rescue team, Santa Clarita Valley Search and Rescue personnel and California Highway Patrol also responded to the scene.
The CHP officer on scene ran down a steep 70-foot dirt embankment pulled the driver out of his truck and then attempted life-saving measures, according to CHP Officer Josh Greengard. The officer is believed to be OK, but he was transferred for evaluation as a precautionary measure.
The driver was airlifted to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, according to Matheny.
The truck was also reported as leaking fuel, according to Matheny.
As CHP officers continued their investigation, a SigAlert was issued around 1:29 p.m., which prompted the closure of the No. 3 and 4 lanes of the northbound 5 freeway for approximately eight hours.
