Two fatal crashes in the San Fernando Valley prompted SIG alerts and heavy traffic on the Interstate 5 Friday morning, forcing commuters coming and going from the Santa Clarita Valley to take alternate routes due to closures.
At approximately 6:14 a.m. a 9-1-1 caller reported that a body was lying in the No. 2 lane of the 210 freeway, west of Hubbard Street, according to Josh Greengard, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol’s Newhall Office.
Greengard said the CHP is considering the incident a pedestrian vs. vehicle collision. Since an investigation is warranted, all eastbound lanes on the 210 past Hubbard Street were closed until 10:10 a.m.
According to CHP logs, a white semi-truck struck a man who was then struck again by a pickup truck. Greengard said vehicles that struck the man stayed at the scene.
A second fatal collision, just south of the first, on Interstate 5 at its interchange with Route 170, left two people dead, according to CHP officials. The four left lanes on the southbound I-5 are currently blocked as of the publication of this story, and will continue to be for an undetermined amount of time.
The fatal crash occurred when a white Dodge van became stranded in the No. 3 lane of the southbound I-5 after a traffic collision with another vehicle. The other vehicle was able to safely pull over to the shoulder, however the van could not, according to Officer Jonathan Boyd with CHP’s Altadena office.
A tractor-trailer, which was not able to stop in time, collided with the stranded white Dodge van, which instantly exploded — killing the two people trapped inside.
Boyd said the two people were a 28-year-old man from Sunland and an 80-year-old woman from Panorama City.
The driver of the other Dodge vehicle and the tractor-trailer reportedly did not have any injuries.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
