Traffic backed up for more than 12 miles early Friday on a freeway in the San Fernando Valley after a crash involving a FedEx big rig that smashed through a concrete barrier and rolled onto its side.
Map: Traffic Page
The FedEx driver suffered minor injuries, according to authorities.
The road was closed in the Sun Valley area near Sheldon Street at about 5 a.m. after a series of collisions that began with a utility truck that slammed into a stalled sport utility vehicle. The big rig drivers swerved to avoid the vehicles and crashed through the concrete freeway barrier, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The cab and part of the big rig's trailer ended up on the other side of the barrier on the side of the freeway near its split with the 170 Freeway.
One lane reopened at about 5:40 a.m. The remaining lanes remained closed during the crash cleanup, which involved a fuel spill, and investigation that continued into Friday afternoon.
Packages in will likely need to be removed before the damaged trailer can be pulled upright. It was not immediately clear whether freight was damaged, but a FedEx representative said customers would be notified.
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Southbound 5 Freeway drivers were advised to take the southbound 170 Freeway to avoid the closure.
The CHP initially reported that two FedEx trucks were involved in the crash, but later said only one of the company's vehicles crashed.
