Early Tuesday morning, an accident on the 110 Freeway in South Los Angeles resulted in the death of a pedestrian and significant traffic delays. A person attempting to run across the freeway was struck by a car, leading to the temporary closure of all northbound lanes, KTLA reports.
The California Highway Patrol responded to the scene near Exposition Boulevard at approximately 4:50 a.m. after receiving reports of the incident. The victim was hit by multiple vehicles and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to information from the California Highway Patrol, referenced by FoxLA. Officers had to immediately shut down traffic to allow emergency services to safely address the situation.
SkyFOX aerial footage from around 6:30 a.m. showed extensive traffic congestion as a result of the closure. While the SigAlert initially projected the closure to last till 8 a.m., two lanes were reopened before the SigAlert was lifted by 7:30 a.m., according to details by FoxLA. The full reopening of the freeway came shortly after the medical examiner cleared the scene.
Traffic was reported to have been backed up to Slauson Boulevard as commuters were advised to seek alternative routes during the closure. KCAL News Anchor Kalyna Astrinos suggested using the northbound 710, northbound 605, northbound 405, Figueroa Street, or Broadway to potentially avoid the gridlocked sections, as per information relayed by CBS Los Angeles. These alternative routes were intended to help to somewhat alleviate the heavy flow of morning traffic while the necessary investigation and clean-up were carried out on the 110.
All lanes were eventually reopened around 7:30 a.m., ABC7 confirmed. The red Dodge Ram involved in the incident, whose driver remained at the scene, was highlighted by the CHP report as the vehicle that struck the pedestrian. The investigation into the crash is ongoing, as authorities were continuing to gather details about what prompted the pedestrian to attempt to cross the freeway on foot.
