5 Freeway reopens after deadly big rig crash
A multi-vehicle crash involving two big rigs shut down the 5 Freeway near Griffith Park on Tuesday, snarling traffic for miles, the California Highway Patrol said.
Southbound lanes remained closed just south of the 134 Freeway for seven hours, but all lanes had reopened by 7 p.m., according to the CHP. Northbound lanes had reopened by 5:45 p.m.
The crash was reported just before 11 a.m. north of Los Feliz Boulevard, where a vehicle collided with a big rig, which then collided with another big rig and caught fire, CHP logs show.
Televised images showed a small car pinned beneath the burned big rig. The truck was blocking four southbound lanes. The second big rig was nearby.
One person was killed, and at least 10 others were injured in the crash, one critically, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. One dog also died, officials said.
The CHP issued a SigAlert for the southbound lanes that was lifted by 7 p.m., said CHP Officer Alex Rubio.
Traffic on southbound 5 was bumper to bumper for a four-mile stretch and more than five miles northbound, where cars were backed up to the 110 Freeway on Tuesday afternoon, Rubio said.
A multi-vehicle crash involving two of big rigs closed the southbound 5 Freeway near Griffith Park late Tuesday morning, limiting northbound traffic to one or two lanes. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.
Twitter: @JosephSerna
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UPDATES:
10:30 p.m.: This article was updated with details on the freeway’s reopening.
3:40 p.m.: This article was updated with closure details.
1:35 p.m.: This article was updated with details of additional crash victims.
12:10 p.m.: This article was updated with a count of the dead and injured.
This article was originally published at 11:40 a.m.
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