Tow Truck Driver Loses Leg In Horrific 55 Freeway Pileup

COSTA MESA, CA — A tow truck driver lost his left leg Monday morning when he was hit by a sedan in Costa Mesa, authorities said.

The first call to the California Highway Patrol was made at 2:30 a.m. Monday about a two-door sedan hitting the right shoulder wall on the northbound 55 Freeway — alternatively known as the Costa Mesa Freeway — just south of the 405 Freeway.

According to the call, a passenger was reported on the ground with an injured arm.

A black sedan that was involved in the crash was reportedly driving at high rates of speed when it crashed into a tow truck driver who was out of the truck, causing major injuries and the loss of his left leg, CHP said.

CHP Officer Sergio Rivera told Patch that the tow truck driver was assisting a disabled vehicle when he was hit. It was not immediately known if the two-door sedan involved in the original call was the same sedan that hit the tow driver, Rivera said.

A SigAlert was issued at 3:09 a.m. for the northbound Costa Mesa Freeway just south of the San Diego Freeway, the transition from the northbound 55 to the northbound 405 and the Paularino Avenue on-ramp. The on-ramp was reopened at 5:22 a.m.

Alcohol was believed to be a contributing factor in the crash, Rivera said.