BUENA PARK : Crash Clogs Freeway for Hours, Injures 1

Traffic on the Riverside Freeway was backed up for 6 miles during the morning rush hour Monday after a three-vehicle accident forced the closure of four westbound lanes, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

The 6:45 a.m. accident occurred when a truck driven by Trinidad Santana, 23, of La Habra collided with a disabled Toyota Corolla on the right shoulder of the freeway just west of Orangethorpe Avenue, CHP Officer Juan Alfaro said.

Santana, whose truck was loaded with milk and cheese, reportedly told investigators that he was adjusting his seat or seat belt and had taken his eyes off the road when he hit the Corolla owned by Edward Locke Jr., 25, of Long Beach, Alfaro said. Santana’s truck overturned after colliding with the car.

Tractor-trailer driver Manual Saliedo, 26, of Lynwood was about 150 feet behind Santana when the crash occurred. In an effort to avoid the accident, Saliedo swerved and lost control of his rig, crashing through the guardrail and a retaining wall, Alfaro said.

The only injury was sustained by Locke, whose leg was broken, Alfaro said.

“The real problem was the traffic,” Alfaro said. “That’s a busy time anyway with everybody coming in from Riverside and going to work. It just made usually bad traffic 10 times worse.”

Two of the four westbound lanes remained closed until about 11:30 a.m., when one was reopened to traffic. All four lanes were not clear until 2:45 p.m., Alfaro said.

About 50 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from the tractor-trailer into the Coyote Creek Channel, Alfaro said, but a hazardous materials crew cleaned it up.