A big rig hauling a load of watermelons overturned on northbound Interstate 5 just south of March Lane in Stockton on Thursday evening, setting off a six-vehicle crash that snarled traffic for hours during the height of rush hour. The wreck happened around 5:45 p.m., right as commuters were trying to get home.
Dash cam footage capturing the moment of impact was published by CBS News Sacramento, which reported that the truck rolled over on the freeway. The crash quickly became a mess for emergency crews and drivers alike, given the size of the wreckage and the number of vehicles caught up in it.
The overturned semi forced responders to shut down lanes 2 through 5 on northbound I-5 south of March Lane, according to ABC10. That closure led to major delays during the evening commute, with only a single lane left open to handle the crush of northbound traffic.
A Crash-Prone Corridor Through the Valley
The timing and location of the wreck line up with a troubling pattern for the region. California Highway Patrol collision records from 2014 through 2025 show that Thursday at 3 p.m. is the single most common time for traffic crashes in San Joaquin County, according to the UC Berkeley Transportation Injury Mapping System, cited by SafetyFirst. Thursday's crash happened a couple hours later in the same high-risk window, on a stretch of freeway with its own grim distinction.
With 4,640 reported crashes between 2014 and 2025, Interstate 5 is the single highest-collision freeway corridor in San Joaquin County, per the same UC Berkeley and SafetyFirst analysis. Countywide, the data shows 46,838 traffic collisions reported to the California Highway Patrol over that same span, resulting in 1,402 fatalities and 66,813 injuries, with annual crash counts climbing 85% over the period.
Why Big Rigs Dominate This Stretch of I-5
Heavy trucks are a constant presence on this corridor because of the freight moving through the San Joaquin Valley. That volume helps explain why a single overturned rig can cascade into a six-vehicle crash and hours of gridlock.
Commercial trucks with three or more axles, or those pulling trailers, are legally capped at 55 mph on state freeways under California Vehicle Code Section 22406, regardless of the speed limit posted for passenger vehicles, according to FindLaw and California Legislative Information. Statewide, large-truck crash data is also compiled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Not the First Rollover Near March Lane
The supplied sources do not establish whether this was the first time a big rig went down near this exact stretch of freeway.
The California Highway Patrol's investigation into Thursday's crash is ongoing, and the exact cause, whether speed or a sudden lane change played a role, has not been determined. Full details on injuries among occupants of the six vehicles involved have not been released.
Big rig wrecks have become a recurring theme on Central Valley freeways this year. Hoodline previously reported on a fatal Highway 99 crash near Lodi that killed two people in May, underscoring how often heavy trucks factor into the county's most serious collisions.
