The Signal

1 dead after crash on I-5

Other collisions occur around Santa Clarita Valley

- By Jim Holt Signal Senior Staff Writer

A spate of traffic collisions in and around the Santa Clarita Valley kept emergency officials and paramedics busy all day Tuesday.

One of the crashes proved fatal for the driver of a big rig that crashed into the median going northbound on Interstate 5 just past the split from Highway 14 late Tuesday morning.

At about 11:40 a.m., the driver, described as a Hispanic male in his 50s, was found unconsciou­s, unresponsi­ve and not breathing, according to California Highway Patrol Sergeant Zachary Emmons.

The driver was pronounced dead on scene upon the arrival of firefighte­rs with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

As there was only minor damage to the big rig, Emmons said officials are investigat­ing a medical issue prior to the crash, causing the driver to lose consciousn­ess.

Then, in a separate and unrelated traffic collision shortly after 1:15 p.m., a car crashed and lodged itself underneath a big rig going northbound on Route 14 also just past the Interstate 5 split Tuesday afternoon.

The car was driving in the right lane when it ran into the big rig, according to California Highway Patrol Sergeant Zachary Emmons.

The driver of the car had minor injuries, according to the sergeant, who said they appeared to be “okay.”

Deputies with the Santa

Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station had their own crashes to deal with Tuesday.

Head injury

Shortly before noon, a man was injured and rushed to the hospital after he was hit by a disabled van he had been repairing.

The patient, who was initially reported by first responders to have been ejected from the van, was found on the ground near the vehicle.

The incident happened on McKeon Drive near Golden Valley Road and the Sam’s Club parking lot.

“He was not ejected,” Sgt. Scott Shoemaker of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s Traffic Section told The Signal.

“He was working on his vehicle at the time,” he said.

The patient, whose identity and age were not disclosed, received emergency medical treatment from paramedics of the Los Angeles County Fire Department as he lay on the ground, according to one person who witnessed the rescue.

He was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

“This was a call for a person ejected,” Fire Department spokesman Vanessa Lozano told The Signal when the incident was first reported.

Emergency response crews arriving at the scene found a van with a shattered windshield.

Traffic was shut down both directions on Golden Valley Road creating a big traffic jam on Golden Triangle Road as drivers tried to access Soledad Canyon Road.

“I saw him working on his van,” one witness told The Signal. “Next thing I hear is ‘Boom.’ He got hit by the van.”

Earlier Tuesday, shortly after 7:35 a.m., two people were hurt and taken to the hospital following a traffic collision on Soledad Canyon Road at Golden Oak Road.

Two vehicles collided, knocking down a utility pole, Fire Department Inspector Joey Marron told The Signal Tuesday.

Paramedics were dispatched to the crash at 7:37 a.m., he said.

When they arrived at the scene they found two people in need of medical treatment.

The day began, however, on a different note.

Milk cargo

Two of the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 through the Newhall pass remained closed until around 2 p.m. Tuesday after a milk truck went down an embankment near Calgrove Boulevard Monday night.

“A big rig hauling milk went down an embankment just south of Calgrove,” California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Preissman told The Signal Tuesday morning.

“As a result, the number three and four lanes at the (constructi­on) split will remain closed until 2 p.m.,” he said, referring to the two lanes closed to the shoulder.

The solo vehicle crash happened shortly after 10:15 p.m. Monday night in the southbound lanes of I-5, ending with the truck on its side.

The driver of the big rig suffered minor injuries, Preissman.

Asked about the spilled load being hauled, Preissman said: “It was a slow leak so they estimate it was about a couple of gallons.”

After a pause, he added: “There’s no use crying over spilled milk.”

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