I-5 Tunnel Concerns Cited Following SoCal Crash

A chain-reaction crash on Interstate 5 that left three people dead was apparently caused when a trucker lost control emerging from the tunnel, and some truckers cited concerns with the tunnel’s configuration, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

The I-5 crash was apparently set in motion when a trucker carrying a load of coffee beans and other goods emerged lost control on wet pavement and hit a guardrail, the paper said, citing crash investigators.

In the aftermath of Friday’s accident — which involved more than 30 vehicles in a pileup — truckers voiced concern about the configuration of the 1970s-era tunnel where most of the accident and all three fatalities occurred, the Times said.

The sight of the disabled Saia Inc. truck, which caught fire, apparently caused other drivers on the wet roadway to slow down, investigation sources told the paper.

A Saia spokeswoman said the company cooperating fully with the crash investigation.

The sight of the disabled Saia truck, which caught fire, apparently caused other drivers on the wet roadway to slow down, investigation sources told the paper.

A Saia spokeswoman said the company cooperating fully with the crash investigation.

The crash killed two men and a child in a passenger car, who died in the pileup.

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