Crime & Safety
UPDATE: Flipped Semi at Crown Valley Stymies Commute
A big rig full of tomatoes was blocking all lanes of the north 5 Freeway at Crown Valley early Wednesday.
Two drivers were hospitalized and all lanes of the north 5 Freeway were blocked by an overturned big rig south of Crown Valley Parkway early Wednesday, leading to huge delays.
The carpool and two inside lanes reopened by 7 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. The semi-truck's trailer was filled with tomatoes, and couldn't be moved until unloaded, which CHP Officer Denise Quesada said would take until shortly before 7 a.m.
A Scion collided with the big rig at 2:14 a.m., causing the wreck, and its driver is under investigation for alleged intoxication, Quesada said.
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By 3:14 a.m., according to CHP reports, officers had closed the highway at Avery Parkway to redirect traffic.
Tow trucks were later able to nudge the trailer to reopen some lanes and the Crown Valley on-ramp. Traffic remains slow, according to the CHP website.
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The drivers suffer non-life-threatening injuries, Quesada said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Officer Quesada's last name.
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