UPDATE: Contains information about the cause of the crash.

The driver of a big-rig was killed after being trapped as a result of a traffic collision on the southbound side of the Interstate 5 freeway in Castaic.

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“He was pronounced by paramedics,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Josh Greengard.

Officials with the Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed a big-rig had gone down an embankment alongside the freeway, trapping the driver just south of the CHP turnaround in Castaic.

“It came in as a person trapped,” said an official. “A big-rig down an embankment. One patient has been (extracted).”

The crash was a result of evasive action taken by the truck driver to avoid a collision with a Lexus that, for unknown reasons, drifted right into the path of the big rig, according to a crash report from the CHP.

A SigAlert was called for the I-5 freeway at Templin Highway, closing all lanes. By 12:30 p.m., the right hand lane was the only one closed.

Greengard added the lane closures were a result of CHP officials attempting to land a helicopter to take the patient to a hospital, but the driver died before the helicopter could reach the scene.

Early reports from the CHP indicate that the truck was leaking yellow fluid, but first responders discovered that the liquid was “a food grade citrus product.”

The driver of the big rig has not been identified pending notification of next of kin.

KHTS will update as more information becomes available.