Westbound lanes of the 118 Freeway came to a grinding halt after a crash involving two trucks and an SUV, killing at least one person Monday, authorities confirmed to KTLA.
Calls about the three-vehicle crash on the 118 Freeway, near Topanga Canyon Boulevard in the Chatsworth area came in just before 9 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
Details are limited and it’s unclear what exactly led to the collision, but arriving officers found that the driver of a Penske box truck had rear ended the back of a lumber truck, causing the lumber to strike him.
Medical personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and the male driver of the Penske truck was declared dead at the scene.
Officials did not say whether there was a passenger in the box truck, nor were there reports of any injuries to the other drivers involved in the crash.
Video footage of the scene posted to the Citizen App showed heavy damage to the Penske box truck, with the front end of the truck nearly sheared off and the windshield shattered. Additionally, a blue-colored SUV appears to have hit the back of the Penske truck at some point during the incident.
CHP issued a SigAlert that lasted nearly three hours while authorities investigated the scene and crews worked to clear the area.
While the cause of the crash is still under investigation, CHP said that the driver of the Penske truck was not impaled.
No further details were provided.