Big rig flips in I-5 truck lanes

One person was injured and taken to the hospital after a big rig collided with another truck and overturned in the southbound truck lanes of Interstate 5 near Highway 14 late Wednesday night.

The patient, whose age and gender were not disclosed, was taken to the hospital at midnight after being freed from the wreckage.

The crash happened at 11:35 p.m. just after the big rig emerged from the “first tunnel,” said Marvin Lim, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Two trucks collided, causing the big rig to flip, he said.

“The call came in as a traffic collision with one person trapped,” Lim said.

The overturned rig, hauling organic peroxide, prompted a response by firefighters specially trained in handling hazardous materials.

As of 11 a.m. Thursday, HazMat crews were still at the scene, Lim said, noting none of the peroxide was released in the crash.

HazMat crews mopped up at least 20 gallons of diesel spilled in the crash.

Organic peroxides are organic compounds used to reinforce plastics. As oxidizers, they react easily with skin. For safety reasons, they are stored in cool, opaque containers.

The U.S. Department of Transportation restricts the shipping of some organic peroxides based on its concentration and physical state.

— Jim Holt