One Person Killed in Fiery Big Rig Crash Involving Wrong Way Driver on the 210

May 24, 2012 According to reports one person was killed in a fiery crash involving a big rig and wrong way driver. According to the California Highway Patrol the accident occurred at approximately 2:15 a.m. on Thursday in the westbound lanes of the 210 Freeway, at Roxford Street, in Sylmar. California Highway Patrol officials said that the accident occurred when a UPS truck hauling two trailers met a driver traveling the wrong way on the freeway. CHP officials said the vehicle traveling the wrong way was a compact sedan.

The driver of the UPS big rig attempted to swerve, to avoid a head-on collision, but the big rig and sedan collided, CHP said. The back trailer being hauled rolled over into the center divider wall, causing it to fall into the eastbound lanes of the 210 Freeway. The front trailer remained in the westbound lanes and caught fire after the crash. According to the California Highway Patrol the woman driving the compact sedan was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Her identity has not been released pending notification of her family.

CHP officials said the driver of the big rig had to be extricated from the truck but did not have life threatening injuries. They said the trailer that caught fire was a total loss. CHP officials closed the two left lanes while the accident scene was cleared and the lanes were reopened at approximately 11:00 a.m.