Northbound traffic recovers after crash.

UPDATED: 12:49 p.m.


[view:node_ad=5]

A solo driver is in critical condition after the vehicle he was driving was involved in a fiery early morning crash on the northbound I-5 just south of Roxford Street.

According to CHP Sgt. Rick Miler, the man was driving a late-model Volkswagen Jetta northbound when he apparently had mechanical problems and slowed down. A GMC Envoy behind the victim hit the Jetta without slowing down, causing it to burst into flames.

Passerby pulled the victim out of the burning car and administered CPR before paramedics arrived; the victim, who the CHP is trying to identify through vehicle registration, was taken to Holy Cross Hospital for treatment and is listed in critical condition.

The accident closed nearly all of the northbound lanes, and a Sigalert was declared just after 6:00 a.m., lasting just short of an hour.  The roadway was clear by 7 a.m.