Three Dead in California I-5 Truck Crash

Staff Writer, Oct 19, 2007

A chain reaction crash, which occurred south Santa Clarita, has taken the toll of three lives so far.  The truck crash occurred in a tunnel on Interstate 5 leaving as fiery scene which has closed that section of the interstate indefinitely.  The series of unfortunate events began as one trucker hauling coffee beans lost control of his vehicle due to wet pavement and struck a guardrail at the exit of the tunnel.  The impact of this collision littered the interstate with debris, and it appears the initial truck crash may have caused the vehicle to catch fire.  The accident caused congestion of drivers within the tunnel, but investigators declined to speculate the series of events leading to the other collisions and fires within the tunnel itself.

The pile-up of vehicles inside the tunnel sparked a huge inferno and caused the death of three motorists.  The I-5 section of interstate is indefinitely closed with heavy damage to the tunnel not to mention the charred debris of multiple car and trucks within the tunnels walls.  The three dead have been tentatively identified by families, but officials are awaiting dental records to confirm the identity of the badly burned victims.  Officials also noted the serious investigation being undertaken following the incident, and acknowledged the huge undertaking will take time, “We're not going to give a time frame, because we are going to take our time. We're going to do it as expeditiously as possible, but we're going to be thorough" commented CHP Assistant Chief Warren A. Stanley.