A box truck and sedan collided on northbound Interstate 5 near the Washington Street exit in Mission Hills around 9:44 a.m. Tuesday, triggering a fire and leaving the truck's cab dangling over the southbound lanes for hours. The crash snarled traffic in both directions and sent multiple people to the hospital before crews could clear the wreckage.
The truck's cabin was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Responders assessed six patients at the scene and transported four of them to local hospitals. NBC 7 San Diego reported that the cabin of the semi-truck was on fire when crews arrived, and that the truck came to rest dangling on a freeway overhang between the northbound and southbound lanes.
The impact left fuel spilled across the roadway and severely damaged the center divide, NBC 7 reported. According to the station, the box truck's driver was ejected into the lanes and a passenger was helped out through a window; both refused medical care at the scene.
Conflicting Accounts of Who Went to the Hospital
Accounts of how many people were hurt and hospitalized vary by outlet. NBC 7 reported that all four occupants of the sedan were taken to the hospital after the crash. 10News similarly reported that four people in the car were hospitalized for various injuries, while two people from the truck were evaluated but did not need hospital care. The San Diego Union-Tribune, meanwhile, reported that three people were taken to hospitals for treatment, with the extent of their injuries unknown.
Firefighters responded to the crash.
Hours of Closures and Cleanup on I-5
Lanes in both directions were shut down for hours while crews worked to clear the scene, according to Fox 5 San Diego. The station reported that crews dumped dirt on spilled fuel in the far-left lanes and that all southbound traffic was diverted off the freeway at Sassafras Street during the cleanup. A crane was eventually used to help remove the semi-truck from the lanes, Fox 5 reported.
By around 4:30 p.m., all southbound lanes had reopened, but lanes 1, 2, and 3 on northbound I-5 near Washington Street remained closed for continued cleanup, according to a report from twaslnews1.twaslnews.com. Reopening times for all lanes varied across outlets: 10News reported that all northbound and southbound lanes near Washington Street reopened at around 5:45 p.m., NBC 7 reported both sides were fully reopened by about 6 p.m., and the Union-Tribune reported all lanes were back open by around 6:30 p.m.
A crane helped remove the truck, and crews dumped dirt on spilled fuel. Traffic was impacted for several hours.
Cause Still Unclear, With One Preliminary Theory
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Fox 5, however, cited preliminary findings suggesting the semi-truck may have collided with a Volkswagen Jetta, which caused the Jetta to spin out and the truck to strike a wall. The Union-Tribune, for its part, described the crash as involving a semi-tractor trailer and two vehicles, a detail that differs from other outlets' description of a single box truck and sedan.
