The freeway was completely closed for several hours on Saturday morning after a multi-vehicle pile-up on southbound Interstate 805 claimed one life.
The incident happened about south of Imperial Avenue and north of 43rd Street at approximately 8:50 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
According to reports, a car was hit by another car when it was parked on the freeway’s right shoulder. According to CHP, the impact prompted the car to deviate into the traffic lanes, which led to more drivers getting involved in the collision. Five or more automobiles were affected.
“Right now we have one person deceased,” CHP Sgt. Millen Mateo told FOX 5/KUSI at the scene. “Of the five vehicles, we have approximately five people transported to the hospital for various injuries—from minor to major.”
“So right after the scene was stabilized, we stopped and closed all lanes of traffic due to the investigation—due to evidence being across all traffic lanes,” Sgt. Mateo continued.
While officials evaluated the situation, traffic on the southbound freeway was backed up for many hours. The two right lanes are still closed, however CHP reopened the left three lanes at around 1 p.m. Following the conclusion of their investigation and cleanup operations, the freeway is anticipated to fully reopen.
“Right now, it’s undetermined what the cause of the crash is, but we’re still investigating,” said Sgt. Mateo.
The multi-vehicle pile-up is still being investigated. In the meanwhile, CHP is urging drivers to use seatbelts at all times, slow down, follow speed limits and traffic signals, and refrain from using cell phones or eating while operating a motor vehicle.
