Fiery Big Rig Crash Shuts Down 5 Freeway For 7 Hours: UPDATED

LOS FELIZ, CA — One person was killed and ten others injured in a fiery big rig pileup that shut down much of the Golden State (5) Freeway four seven hours, effectively bringing Los Angeles traffic to a crawl Tuesday.

The crash happened just before 11 a.m. south of the Ventura (134) Freeway, sending debris flying across the freeway and walls of flames shooting high into the air as a tanker was completely engulfed in flames. The crash forced a full freeway closure for a time, and the southbound lanes of the freeway didn't reopen until about 6:15 p.m., according to California Highway Patrol Officer Alex Rubio.

Traffic was snarled for miles in both directions of the freeway near Colorado Street. The crash involed four vehicles including three big rigs. At least 10 people were being treated for injuries. One person suffered critical injuries and another person was killed, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The tanker blaze has obliterated the cabs of both big rigs involved in the crash.

According to Jose Nunez of the California Highway Patrol, the driver of a northbound big rig inexplicably swerved across the center median and slammed into another big rig in the southbound lanes, prompting the chain-reaction crash that ultimately included three passenger vehicles, a passenger van, another big rig and a pickup hauling a trailer.

The driver of that northbound big rig was killed in the accident, according to a release from the CHP, but his identity has not been released pending notification of the next of kin.

One of the passenger vehicles wound up wedged beneath one of the big rigs. The driver of the third big rig involved in the crash managed to drive to the right shoulder of the freeway, avoiding the major fire that erupted.

CHP released the names of five drivers involved in the accident. Rafael Ramirez, 22, of Los Angeles, who was driving a sedan in the northbound lane, was sent to St. Joseph's Hospital. Nick Agajanian Sr., 63, of Fontana, driving a pickup truck in the northbound lane, was also sent to St. Joseph's.

Rodolfo Perez, 48, of Bakersfield, was driving a tractor trailer in the southbound lane. He was sent to Glendale Adventist. Kimberly Busacay, 25, of Chatsworth, who was driving a sedan in the southbound lane, was sent to USC Medical Center.

Ryan Brubaker, 43 of Laguna Niguel, was driving a sedan in the southbound lane and was not hospitalized.
A witness told KNX Newsradio that the driver of a Toyota Prius may have cut off the northbound big rig, causing it to careen over the center divider.

"The cause of this traffic collision and if alcohol and or drugs were a factor, is still under investigation," according to the CHP.

Firefighters and paramedics set up a triage area on the freeway to treat the injured. The critically injured person was a 27-year-old woman, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A dog in one of the big rigs also died, fire officials said. The nine other people who were treated suffered only minor injuries.

Image: ABC7 screengrab; City News Service contributed to this report.