Today, Interstate 5 turned deadly near Mission Hills when a person was ejected and killed in a two-vehicle crash, triggering a full shutdown of the southbound lanes while crews rushed in to respond.
The California Highway Patrol said the collision was reported around 1:13 AM on the southbound I-5 at Washington Street. Emergency crews closed the southbound side of the freeway as they worked the scene and tried to piece together what happened.
According to ABC 10News, one vehicle ended up on the right-hand shoulder and the other came to a stop in the center divider. A witness told the CHP that a woman standing outside a vehicle was bleeding heavily and pleaded with dispatchers for responders to hurry. CHP officers then shut down all southbound lanes at Washington Street and called in Caltrans to set up a hard closure so investigators could safely process the crash site.
Traffic impact and local context
The closure added to a recent run of traffic chaos along I-5 through downtown San Diego. At the end of May, a wrong-way crash in the same general stretch forced traffic diversions at Washington Street and kept the southbound lanes closed for hours, according to the Times of San Diego.
That portion of I-5, which cuts through Little Italy, Mission Hills and Old Town, is a notorious chokepoint whenever crashes or lengthy investigations require full closures, turning a critical commuter artery into a standstill in a matter of minutes.
Investigation
The CHP said it is investigating the circumstances of the crash and has not yet released the victim's identity or any details about what led to the collision, ABC 10News reported.
Officials typically review crash reports, notify family members and conduct further investigative work before releasing more information to the public.
