Driver is killed as two trucks collide on 118 in Chatsworth

Man who crashed into a flatbed vehicle dies when lumber smashes into his windshield.

A 23-year-old man died Monday after the box truck he was driving collided with the back of a flatbed truck carrying lumber on the 118 Freeway in Chatsworth, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The incident was reported as a multi-vehicle collision just before 8:45 a.m. Monday on the 118 near Topanga Canyon Boulevard. According to City News Service, a preliminary investigation found that lumber from the flatbed crashed through the box truck’s windshield, impaling the driver.

The incident snarled traffic on the highly traveled 118 for several hours before lanes were reopened around noon.

In photos of the scene published by Fox 11, lumber can be seen protruding from the end of the flatbed as the box truck sits several feet behind with what appeared to be damage to its front left side.

The box truck driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene, CHP officials said.

The driver of the lumber truck was transported to a local hospital with moderate injuries, officials said. No one else was in that vehicle.

The incident remains under investigation, but the box truck’s speed appears to have been a factor, CHP officials said.

Officers with the CHP’s commercial division also responded to the scene to investigate whether the lumber truck was in compliance with rules that require items that protrude 4 feet or more from the back of a vehicle to be marked with a red or orange flag.

An SUV was also involved in the incident, crashing into the back of the box truck after it had collided with the flatbed. No major injuries were reported in the SUV.