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Rick Mcclure / AP
Firefighting paramedics remove an injured motorist on Tuesday at the site of a freeway pileup in northern Los Angeles County involving at least 19 vehicles.
All southbound lanes of Antelope Valley (14) Freeway were shut down at about 10 a.m. Pacific time Tuesday after a big rig collided with several cars, blocking the roadway.
Nineteen vehicles were involved and 15 individuals were injured and taken to the hospital, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Two patients were in critical condition, the fire department said.
This story was first reported by NBCLA.com.
A truck towing two trailers of sand or dirt collided with multiple passenger cars, aerial video showed. The cars were piled on top of each other in the roadway.
The crash occurred south of the Escondido Canyon Road exit in the Agua Dulce area (map), about 1 mile east of Vasquez Rocks county park. The crash was reported at 9:42 a.m. PT.
The California Highway Patrol's traffic website stated that 25 tons of sand were involved, and that passengers were trapped in their vehicles. Photos from the scene showed severe damage to vehicles, including a car with seemingly every part crushed except the driver's seat.
Officials on scene said that the big rig was going too fast while traveling around a curve. The truck was not far behind a CHP officer's patrol car, which was attempting to slow traffic so that debris could be cleared from the roadway.
Aerial video showed multiple people being transported on gurneys and stretchers.
Traffic was backed up for several miles. The CHP website said traffic was being directed off the freeway at Escondido Canyon Road.
As of 11:42 a.m. pt, all cars between the exit and the crash site had been cleared off the freeway, the CHP website said. It was unknown when the collision site would be cleared.
At about noon, tow trucks were beginning to remove the first of nine heavily damaged vehicles that had crashed into and, in some cases, on top of each other.
NBCLA.com is operated by KNBC, NBC News' affiliate in Southern California.
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Leave a Comment:
Where is Lindsey or Amanda ?
I hope that they jailed the truck driver pending completion of the CHP investigations.
The article basically says that the CHP caused the accident. They were doing a traffic break. Traffic breaks are normally pretty sudden. Most (not all) truck drivers are better and more aware drivers than those of us in a car.
So, what is your point?, and more importantly, who cares?
ORB1943, why is it everyone blames the truck driver? I've heard of accidents where "it was the truckdrivers fault" and the question was asked. What truck. People are so pathetic!!
And what do you want to bet a cell phone was involved!?
@patd562 - Reading Comprehension Epic Fail.
cowtowntruker.....The trucker is at fault if going to fast in a curve with his load.Why is it that truckers can't accept blame and think they are 'king' of the road?...
In our area, the sand trucks can be quite aggressive as they are only paid $50 or so a load, but could easily have been caused by an idiot 4 wheeler (cager). It's all about not being distracted and controlling your vehicles. I'd love to know how many cell phones are involved, though we might never know. High speed pack driving combined with distractions are deadly.
patd - idiot - pay attention to what was written. The accident had ALREADY HAPPENED when the CHP was watching for debris. How do watch for debris that isn't even there yet?
"The truck was not far behind a CHP officer's patrol car, which was attempting to slow traffic so that debris could be cleared from the roadway."
Good Lord - are you reistered to vote, no less?!
Sorry dude, that sounds to me like there was stuff on the road before this happened. Hell, there was a mattress on I-10 today here in Arizona. Hope no body crashed, and we called it in.
Other than that, this does sound like too many were following to close and not paying attention. Se la vie, hope they all come out of it okay.
This is L.A. Despite the cell phone laws, around 20% of the people I see driving are either holding their phone to their ear or holding it in their hand in their lap. Even my wife does it sometimes (not when I'm around) - drives me nuts. The fact that driving while holding a phone to your ear is like driving while drunk doesn't seem to matter to people. They'll have to make the penalty similar before there's a real drop in phone use on the roads.
That said I'm fine with hands free solutions and if you're going to phone and drive then please use them!
Nascar88 - YOU - need to pay attention. Patd stated that correctly.
Officials on scene said that the big rig was going too fast while traveling around a curve. The truck was not far behind a CHP officer's patrol car, which was attempting to slow traffic so that debris could be cleared from the roadway.
The debris was was not related to this accident but it caused it.
The debris have nothing to do with the accident in question. The CHP's patrol car was slowing down traffic to allow for removal of SOME debris already present on the roadway. The track was behind the police car.
To all the non readers : EPIC FAIL IDIOTS !
Why do you even post before reading?
Maybe this accident was YOUR FAULT!
Varo Angeletti Dude, good christ man. The CHP car was traveling in front of the accident. It was witness to the crash but not the cause! Back to school, please.
@Nascar88 - Maybe the CHP was clearing debris from a blown tire or a wheelbarrow that had fall off truck. The point is it doesnt say what the debris was but it wasnt from the wreck. The wreck was caused when the CHP was trying to slow traffic and the truck was going to fast around a curve when it smashed into the cars. It does not say the was an accident in the clearing stages when a truck smashed into them. So you do not have any right calling any one here and idiot.
@Theairdog - Its you with the "Reading Comprehension Epic Fail."
"Officials on scene said that the big rig was going too fast while traveling around a curve. The truck was not far behind a CHP officer's patrol car, which was attempting to slow traffic so that debris could be cleared from the roadway."
NASCAR 88 & TheAirdog
You are the idiots and I love to be able to say that. I hate the rude obnoxious jack asses who think they can get on here and slam people just to make themselves feel like they are smarter than their c average in school proves.
How do I know you are the idiots? Deductive reasoning.
The article states that the CHP car was attempting to slow traffic so that some debris could be cleaned up, yet the truck was BEHIND the CHP car.
Did you get that???
BEHIND the CHP car. Again, I will repeat that. BEHIND the CHP car.
That means that the truck was being slowed also.
Otherwise WHY in the hell would the CHP be trying to slow vehicles already in a crash so that debris further down the road could be cleared? That wouldn't make much sense seeing as how there was just a huge accident and he would need to respond to that.
And don't be thinking traffic from the opposite direction, because IT'S A FREEWAY, the directions are divided by barriers, and the truck and the accident would be in FRONT of the CHP car. HHMMM....Now that wasn't so hard was it.
All you @!$%#s who think your so smart crack me up.
Patd, you're all good in your original observation.
Besides, right now who cares who caused it. Let us just hope those folks are going to be OK, and let the authorities sort out the rest.
Sorry to the rest of you, I do not mean to come off as a jerk by being so harsh in my retort to these guys, I just get so mad when people like this have to pick on others to feel better. I have never liked bullies.
The truck going too fast had 2 trailers with 25 tons of sand that spilled into the road when it wrecked.
Why is that hard to understand?
He says potaytoe, she says potahtoe. Whether there was debris in the road before the accident or not, SOMEONE WAS NOT PAYING PROPER ATTENTION. I guarantee you that either a cell phone, i phone, i pad or a damn garmin that I always see people playing with was DEFINITELY involved. When you're driving, you should be driving, PERIOD!!! You should be looking ahead by at least 5 car lengths and constantly be in your mirrors for the side and rear aspects. Driving is a full time activity. If you're doing something else at the same time, you're an accident waiting to happen. You don't signal your intentions, you pay scant attention to what's going on around you which tells me and the rest of the world that you are self centered, inconsiderate human beings. After 38 years and 4 months, to the day, on the road trying to avoid your asinine movements and mistakes, and seven years as a volunteer EMT cleaning up your carnage, I've earned the right to say that I pi$$ on all of you inconsiderate butt heads. All of you; soccer moms, businessmen, socialites, repair people, truckers, police, teenagers, adults, gays, lesbians, Latinos, orientals, blacks, whites, ambulance and fire truck drivers, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Islamics, Democrats, Republicans, Tea Partiers and on and on ad-infinitum. Inattentive driving crosses ALL ethnic, political, religious, professional and personal preference lines. Straighten up and drive right, for crying out loud.
Another day in Southern California...
This is the CHP's fault for doing the traffic break. If he didnt slow down traffic around a curve things would have turned out better.
Another good reason why I don't live in California anymore, gridlock, whether from too much traffic or too many accidents, good grief!
And what's with all the name calling, does anyone remember the CoH for the 'vine?
Don't you just love when people do exactly what they are blasting someone else for doing?
Steve L.-2369556
To all the non readers : EPIC FAIL IDIOTS !
Why do you even post before reading?
Maybe this accident was YOUR FAULT!
Varo Angeletti Dude, good christ man. The CHP car was traveling in front of the accident. It was witness to the crash but not the cause! Back to school, please.
Steve L.-2369556
The truck going too fast had 2 trailers with 25 tons of sand that spilled into the road when it wrecked.
Why is that hard to understand?
Steve L. ..... dude I went back and reread the article three times just to see where I missed your assertions.
First, it does not say anywhere in the article that the CHP officer was within sight of the accident when it happened nor that he witnessed it. It only states that the truck was "not far behind" the CHP officer. "not far" is a relative term as is "LA is not far from Las Vegas when compared to NY."
Second, the article states that the truck hauling the dirt was involved in the accident but it does not state that ANY of the dirt spilled.
You are making assumptions that are not stated in the article. Back to school, please.
ah, what do you know.....bottom dumpers going to fast on the highway and can't stop in time.....stop paying these guys by the load and the accidents will decrease.....you have 40 tons under you and you have to make a quota to take care of you and your family, so the more you haul the more you make equals accidents and not always the drivers fault but, when you can't stop, you can't stop.....I've been driving rigs for 36 years (approx. 3.5 million miles) with 5 tickets and no accidents so i'm leaving to the kids now after going through 3 back surgeries in the last 2 years.....my first job driving truck in 1977 was working for Consolidated Productions out of Beverly Hills, CA. hauling rock-n-roll bands across the country while on tour, with The Rolling Stones, Alice Copper, Queen, The Cars, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, John Denver, etc..., and oh the story's I could tell, but thats for another day or 2...so thats it, I'm out?.....
Amen to the EMT Captn Curtass above. I have seen police on cell phones (no, not their car radios) and all others talking or texting. They think because they hold the phone by the steering wheel or in their lap people cannot tell what they are doing...right! They slow down, speed up, swerve into the next lane, miss stop signs/light and stop at green lights. People need to PAY ATTENTION. I am not perfect. I have been lucky and missed an accident when I was not paying attention, but I not because I was driving down the road texting or talking, I use the hands free devices. I too hope all involved will be ok and whomever is at fault, be held accountable. The picture was horrific. I have had a bad experience with a truck/truck driver(s) who tried to run me off the road and threatened me with a baseball bat through my car windshield, so I am not fond of truckers, but I won't put blame until I know the complete story.
The people jumping on here calling other people stupid seem like the ones who need to learn to read. patd read it right. If you have ever been behind a CHP when they do a traffic break on a multilane highway, they do not always give the traffic behind them much time to respond. The article says the truck was travelling behind the CHP unit...that implies pretty clearly BEFORE the truck lost it. If the truck was on a downhill curve when the CHP went into his slalom maneuver in front of him, then the CHP at least partly caused the crash if he failed to give the truck enough time to respond.
Hopefully Kalifornication will fall into the ocean when the next big one hits. Obama should ban all Big rigs. He has already used whatever brain power he has. He is like Kali, all washed up.
listen yes CHP was slowing traffic to clear debris off highway i have watched to many accidents due to crap on the highways its there job to keep roads safe if that means tickets or slowing traffic for crap on the road whatever its why they are out there
this one truck driver yes to fast yes to blame if he was gong the safer speed for his load and traffic this may have been all avoided or at least less severe
but not all truck drivers are at fault though that pisses me off right away blame trucker to many cars think they can push truckers around on highway they need to respect trucks as well as we need to respect the cars so please don't always jump on trucker blaming trucker
Average Trucker---I hope you aren't driving while you made that comment.....There hopefully is another reason you butchered the English language like that ?????
The CHP officer was starting to perform a "Round Robin" which is when he puts on his lights and starts to stall traffic. As traffic slows behind him he will start to weave back and forth across the lanes. He may slow traffic to a crawl or he may bring it to a complete halt for a few moments and then start rolling again at a slow pace till the debris up ahead has been cleared by an advance caltrans crew.
Simple and effective.
Unfortunately a lot of drivers (Probably all of them) were not giving enough room between them and the vehicle in front of them and it couldn't be dismissed that the chances that several of them were distracted. As for the trucker being the cause of it, it is disputable. From some accounts he hit several cars, but was he cut off by a car who after doing so all of the sudden realize what was ahead and hit their brakes? Seen that happen once here in So. Cal.
Also call in to question as to how "gently" the officer started the manuever can be called into question. An abrupt entry into the manuever can cause havoc.
Before casting any blame I would like to see the final report of the accident before condemning anyone.
Terrible accident.
But those of you who have already determined (or imagined) the cause of this accident are...jumping to conclusions.
People in California drive like idiots. They also text when driving.
obviously you never had any brain power in the first place and have done nothing but go downhill since birth. how does it feel to be all washed up?
Holly $hit !
Batman
This happens all the time in L.A. We all know they have bad traffic. It must be a slow news day.
(P.S. The abbr. for Los Angeles is L.A., to distinguish it from the abbr. for Louisiana, LA).
God forbid we should confuse L.A. for LA!! LMAO!!
Oh well that explains it I always thought LA was lower Alabama, my bad LMAO
Boy, now I feel stupid. So, is there a Little Arizona or not?
"This happens all the time in L.A"
Not true. Minor fender benders yes, major pile ups, no. The only thing that happens all the time is earthquakes except the majority of them are so minor you'd never feel them.
not 19 car pile up's, with cars on top of each other!
Hell this happens all the time LA (as in Louisiana) as well...just read back over a few years of reports for accidents on I-12 and I-10 through construction zones. Maybe it's just that drivers are in LA-La-L.A.-land these days.
Where is I-12 ?
Nevermind...It runs along the north shore of lake Pontchartrain as a shortcut/alternate route for I-10 near Baton Rouge..Wiki is great..
Don't Jail the truck driver, he was in a hurry with his load of fill because the sea is rising faster than expected. ;-p
I think I saw Ponch and Jon out there investigating.
Maybe the driver was blinded by the reflection of Ponch's teeth.
seven mary 3 and 4 responding. Bonnie or Grossman caused another pile up- we are 10-26, 10-4.
Or maybe the pile up was cause by the reflection of a truck hauling glass to the housing development on the other side of the highway.
It was caused by Obama's "green energy" liquid salt plants. All them damn mirrors.
adam 12. Now those guys knew how to put on a beatdown.
Ouch.
I smell the bottom feeder lawyers coming........
wonder how many of those bottom feeding lawyers are illigals with a license to practice law.California is doing that nowadays.
"I smell the bottom feeder lawyers coming........"
They're not much different than bottom feeder contributors to a discussion, such as yourself. You'll quickly change your opinion if you need to defend yourself in a court of law in the future.
Yes, cowtown...bottom feeding lawyers.
A bigrig, with 25 TONS of dirt (think of how long it takes to stop with that much weight) not paying attention causes causes countless injuries, several critical. The trucker's insurance will offer medical bills plus 1 or 2 thousand...and the injured person's attorney is the bottom feeder.
Yes according to Obama anything the illegal's do is OK.
Believe me if Cali had a choice we'd toss them all the out on their ILLEGAL TO BE HERE A$$es.
cowtowntrucker, can you find California on a map? It the state on the left coast. The one with all the wannabe movie stars from the Mid West in addition to the illegals.
By the way, the correct spelling is "illegal".
I stand corrected on my spelling, thank you. You dear LastGirl need an english lesson. Reread you comment"It the state on the left coast." Might get a geography lesson while you are at it. Oh and by the way yes I can find California on the map.
Damn wetbacks!
Because that was necessary.
what does being mexican have to do with this incident, seriously?
And Slaura, why does Wetback mean Mexican to you?
Ever think about that?
Had plans to travel down the 14 this morning... very glad I didn't. Scary stuff, but I'm really not surprised this happens more with the way people drive here.
Its LA people no one knows how to drive in LA. They speed they run red lights they hit people and keep going they cause traffic jams cause they slow down to look. It will never change OH and they shoot people on the freeway
Simple, become a Liberal Occupier in L.A. and stay off the freeways and in a tent.
Better than a conservative driving at 53 in the fast lane !!
Cause most are illegals in that state!!
Yep, sittin on your ass smokin dope in a tent, shoplifting all the neighborhood stores to feed your fat ass is always better than driving 53. Good point.
According to an Allstate insurance survey, Washington, D.C. is the worst city in the country for auto accidents. Baltimore, New York City and Los Angeles, in that order, are next on the list.
Another survey says that, Washington, D.C., while still at the top, lists Baltimore, Los Angeles, Newark, N.J. and New York City as the highest…and Oklahoma City is slowly making its way up the list!
Now that no one really pays attention to any laws regarding texting and using cell phones while driving, I would imagine that there will be an increase in accidents in EVERY major city! Simply amazing! I saw someone trying to eat a burger, talk on their cell phone and drive the other day…amazing, simply amazing! Maybe Detroit should create some kind of device that enables a person to use their knees to steer…that way they could eat, talk AND drive/steer much easier…all at the same time!
“Safety Steer is Here! Call now to order…or better yet, text your order…from anywhere…our lines are always open! And if you call with/in the next four blocks, we'll double your order!”
sammy82870-1.....I wouldn’t be so hard on Los Angeles…I don’t think they’re really any worse than anywhere else! It just sounds like you have it in for L.A.
In defense of Sammy, the drivers here ARE pretty bad, and they absolutely CANNOT drive in the rain.
Mike
actually, LA drivers are better than most when you consider the total number of miles driven, but the sheer number of miles driven and the number of drivers drive up the accident numbers.
I've driven across the country, and while the traffic in L.A is absolutely horrendous, the drivers are better than most due to simple darwinian selection
now THAT is true that they can't drive in the rain worth a carp
or in snow or icy conditions (not that L.A has that too often)
so jon, hows life in that tent? sounds like something you have firsthand experience with
At least the truck wasn't loaded with crap....even though it is in California.
Bet those people are glad they weren't in smart cars.
If that isn't one of the best examples of an oxymoron, I don't know what is.
IF and when self-driving cars get more popular, would they have avoided being in this accident??
I wonder how many IDIOTS were texting and not paying attention?
Did you bother to at least read a paragraph of the story?
proably all of them
See that pile up!? How does it get that bad!? They trying to shoot an amateur movie or somethin!?
Uhhhh, try reading the story. First clue.
Jon, lots of energy is required to stack them up that high and in that tight of a group. Would be interesting to see the actual surrounding topography to understand why the grouping is that tight.
BTW - texting could have been a factor or was the truck driver under the influence?
A wonder that there were not more injuries.
I'm guessin, may just be me, but a semi full of sand and rock speeding and plowing into these cars that had stopped may have had a bit of energy to it.
That's one lucky driver.
I heard this all happened because Special Agent Raymond Fong (working undercover) of the FBI's San Francisco field office was robbed by two unknown assailants in Union Station. The FBI pursued but lost the suspects who entered the freeway going the wrong direction, resulting in this pileup.
Now that Wang Chung soundtrack is racing thru my head.....
goingdigital - "You're beautiful"
Is that true, zupercram?
LA, hell on wheels
...and the rest of the car too!
A couple of thoughts...
a. it looks like a scene from "The Blues Brothers."
b. how many were texting or swithing the radio station?
c. I didn't think the traffic in LA moved that fast...
d. of course, I hope no one got hurt.
multiple cell phones were injured in this acident.....
I like how the cops in Blues Brothers make this big pile up, then get out of their cars and start shooting.
I have driven fast my whole life but when I go to L.A. I feel like the slowest guy on the freeway. at 80 mph they leave about 10-15 feet between cars. If you leave more space someone cuts in and flips you the bird.
I'm sure Gloria Allred was out chasing the ambulances down.
If it isn't earthquakes, mudslides, wildfires, California Bar Assoc. giving illigals license to practice law, then its freeways shut down. Just saying
I am soooo looking forward to moving to either Southern Oregon or Idaho!! :) California is really startin' to suuuck!
multiple cell phones were injured in this mele....
SoCal Cops don't check for drugs or alcohol anymore, they look for cell phones. Once they find a phone they know they got you and immediately taze you and billy club you and then take your donuts and then arrest you for being here illegally. CA has become the nations best reality show.
California is not a good place to be from; unless it is AS FAR FROM it as you can get!