Four vehicles, including a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation bus transporting inmates and a working California Department of Transportation vehicle, were involved in a crash on Interstate 5 on Monday morning.
The California Highway Patrol was dispatched to a traffic collision at 11:21 a.m. on the southbound lanes of the I-5 at Rye Canyon, according to Carlos Burgos-Lopez, a spokesman for the CHP Newhall office.
The driver and passenger of the Volkswagen were transported to the hospital in unknown condition following the crash, according to Burgos-Lopez and Edith Lai, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Burgos-Lopez also added that a third person, who was identified as the driver of the Caltrans attenuator truck involved in the collision, was transported as a precautionary measure.
Preliminary information indicated a Volkswagen, a Caltrans vehicle, and a bus carrying 28 inmates and three deputies were involved in the crash, according to Burgos-Lopez. A semi-truck trying to avoid the collision was also involved but only sustained minor damage.
Following their investigation, officers determined that Caltrans was conducting a sweeping operation in the center median and the No. 1 lane which the driver of the Volkswagen failed to see, Burgos-Lopez said.
The Volkswagen then collided with the attenuator truck, which is designed to absorb impact energy during crashes, and the Volkswagen then hit the CDCR bus. The fourth vehicle, which was a semi-truck, also collided with the Volkswagen after it attempted to avoid the collision, Burgos-Lopez added.
A SigAlert was issued and expected to last for approximately an hour in the Nos. 2 and 3 lanes on the southbound side while CHP officers conducted their investigation. All lanes were reopened at 1:19 p.m.
No arrests were made, Burgos-Lopez added.
