All northbound lanes of the 405 Freeway in Sherman Oaks were shut down overnight after a deadly multi-car crash just south of the 101 Freeway interchange. The California Highway Patrol confirmed one person died in the wreck, which involved at least three cars, including one that overturned. Drivers heading north were being diverted off the freeway entirely at Ventura Boulevard as the investigation unfolded.
The crash was reported around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol, as reported by ABC7 Los Angeles. The station reported that the closure was expected to remain in effect until further notice, leaving commuters and overnight drivers to find alternate routes through the Sherman Oaks area well into the morning. Details about what led up to the collision were not available, the outlet noted, and it remains unclear what caused the vehicles to collide at that stretch of freeway so close to the 101 interchange.
A Stretch of Freeway With a Troubled History
This is not the first time this particular section of the 405 through Sherman Oaks and the Sepulveda Pass has seen a deadly, lane-closing crash. In a separate incident, a wrong-way driver caused a fatal crash that forced closure of the southbound 405 through the same general area on a Tuesday morning, according to KTLA. That crash was reported just after 4 a.m. after a motorist was spotted driving northbound in the southbound lanes, the outlet said, and a separate three- to four-vehicle crash was reported minutes later near Valley Vista Boulevard, killing one person and sending at least one other to a hospital in unknown condition. In that case, all lanes reopened shortly before 10 a.m. once CHP cleared the roadway and canceled the SigAlert.
The freeway corridor has also seen violence spill onto its lanes. In a separate incident, a driver was shot on the northbound 405 in Sherman Oaks and rushed to a hospital in unknown condition, the same ABC7 report detailed. A Chevy Bolt involved in that incident slammed into the center divider near the Burbank Boulevard off-ramp, and police said road rage was a possible factor. CHP closed all northbound lanes after 8 a.m. that day while officers searched for evidence, with lanes reopening around noon.
What Comes Next
As of Sunday morning, the cause of the latest crash had not been determined, and no information had been released about the identities of those involved. ABC7 indicated that more details would be added to its report as they became available, leaving open questions about how long the closure would stretch into the day and how traffic would be affected during what is typically a busy commuting corridor between the Valley and the Westside.
