A deadly crash involving a pickup truck and a big rig shut down all northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway near Sheldon Street on Wednesday, killing one man and sending another person to the hospital. The wreck left a white Ford pickup truck wedged beneath the big rig as crews worked to clear the scene.
The crash was reported around 11 a.m. near Sheldon Street, according to the California Highway Patrol, as reported by ABC7 Los Angeles. The outlet described the location as Sylmar, while NBC Los Angeles placed the crash in Sun Valley, in the northern San Fernando Valley.
Air7 footage showed the white pickup partially wedged underneath the back of the big rig, per the same ABC7 account. One man died at the scene, and another person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. NBC Los Angeles similarly reported that another driver was hospitalized with minor injuries.
Freeway Fully Shut Down During Response
The crash prompted the closure of all northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway, according to the ABC7 report. Dispatch logs reviewed by chpbigrig.com show the freeway was fully closed to traffic at Sheldon Street at 11:23 a.m. Those same logs record a request at 11:23 a.m. for CHP to open the Sheldon northbound on-ramp so an ambulance could get through.
By 11:28 a.m., the Sheldon on-ramp to northbound Interstate 5 was reported open, the dispatch logs show. Crews worked to clear the wreck as the investigation continued, though additional details about what led up to the crash were not available, ABC7 reported.
Not the First Deadly Crash Near Sylmar on the 5
The stretch of the 5 Freeway near Sylmar has seen fatal wrecks before. Two people died after an SUV rear-ended a big rig on the freeway near Sylmar one Thursday night, according to CBS News Los Angeles. That collision happened at roughly 10:40 p.m. on the northbound side of the highway, and the victims' SUV caught fire after striking the semi-truck, per the same report.
No further information about what caused Wednesday's crash has been released. Commuters in the area should expect residual delays as cleanup and the investigation continue.
