Early Sunday morning, a serious collision involving multiple vehicles on the eastbound lanes of the 10 Freeway in Jefferson Park, Los Angeles, resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries, as reported by ABC7. Authorities closed the freeway for investigation and cleanup but have since reopened the lanes to traffic.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the incident began with a solo vehicle crash around 3:30 a.m. near Arlington Avenue. Subsequent collisions occurred after another vehicle crashed into the disabled car, creating a pile-up which was reported by KTLA. Six individuals were transported to the hospital with various conditions, including two in critical condition. The closure of the freeway lasted until it was reopened just before 6:30 a.m., making a stretch of crucial Los Angeles infrastructure stalled for hours.
One of the vehicles involved, a Toyota Camry, contained a person who was pronounced dead at the scene, though it was not immediately clear if they were the driver or a passenger. "There was a single-vehicle traffic collision where the car spun out and was facing sideways in lanes," a CHP spokesperson told KTLA. "Another vehicle then crashed into that car."
The circumstances leading up to the crash are still under scrutiny by law enforcement. While it's unclear if factors such as speed or DUI contributed to this horrific start of the day on the 10 Freeway, the California Highway Patrol has not yet confirmed these details in the ongoing investigation. Traffic was backed up heat of the cleanup, with the Arlington Avenue off-ramp closure persisting for hours but was reopened by 7 a.m., easing the snarl for morning commuters.
