Pickup truck driver killed in fiery crash; ID pending
Vehicle collided with a big rig on Interstate 5 near Castaic
The driver of a pickup truck died Wednesday morning after colliding with a big rig on Interstate 5 near Castaic.
Investigators with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner were notified by first responders, said California Highway Patrol Officer Josh Greengard.
By the end of the day, county coroner officials were not able to identify the man killed in the crash.
At the moment, the victim is being referred to as John Doe No. 191, said Sarah Ardalani, spokeswoman for the medical examiner-coroner.
The fatal crash happened shortly after 5:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-5, just north of Hasley Canyon Road.
When it happened, the Los Angeles Communications Center began receiving 911 calls, regarding a pickup truck rear ending a trucktractor, Greengard said.
“The pickup truck was lodged under the truck-tractor combination and burst into flames,” he said.
“The pickup truck had a solo driver, who sustained fatal injuries,” he added.
After the pickup slammed into the back of the big rig it became fully engulfed in flames, said Brian Stevens, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Arriving firefighters immediately reported the fatally injured motorist as “DOA,” he said.
Although firefighters were cleared from the crash scene at 6:45 a.m., they were called back to the scene two hours later “to extricate the patient for the coroner,” Stevens said.
At 5:53 a.m., all northbound lanes were shut down. Shortly after 6 a.m., the northbound fast lane was opened.
The remaining northbound lanes continued to be closed Wednesday morning to facilitate the investigation, Greengard said.
The southbound lanes were not impacted. Caltrans was requested for a hard closure.