KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
A trucker lost control of his vehicle and crashed inside the Interstate 5 Tunnel, sparking a deadly pile-up that killed two adults and one infant in a 29-vehicle traffic collision exactly 14 years ago.
The Newhall Pass Tunnel Fire was triggered by a massive traffic collision involving 24 big rigs and five passenger vehicles in the 550-foot southbound truck route tunnel on the I-5 and 14 Freeway interchange.
The first driver reportedly lost control of his vehicle driving south on the rain-slicked freeway before he slid into a concrete barrier on the left side of the tunnel, according to a California Highway Patrol report following the incident.
When Los Angeles County (LACoFD) firefighters arrived at the scene, they treated 10 individuals with minor to moderate injuries, and pronounced three people — two adults and one infant — dead on arrival.
“I’ve seen many wrecks,” said Capt. Mike Brown, an LACoFD spokesperson in a previous KHTS article. “It’s a miracle we didn’t have more injuries.”
The initial crash set off a chain-reaction of collisions that ignited a fire deep within the tunnel, where some drivers and passengers were trapped inside.
It took firefighters nearly four hours to extinguish the 70- to 100-foot flames shooting out of the tunnel, a result of multiple semi-trailers burning inside.
The fiery crash caused the entire I-5 to be shut down between Calgrove Boulevard and Roxford Street in both directions for nearly three days.
LACoFD officials worked throughout that Friday evening and well into the weekend in order to clear all of the wreckage from the tunnel, search for more victims and get all of the remaining hot-spots extinguished.
During the freeway closure, traffic was snarled throughout Santa Clarita, as residents had to rely on surface streets to not only get around town, but also find ways into the San Fernando Valley.
Throughout the weekend, Caltrans engineers inspected the integrity of the tunnel after the concrete surrounding the crash site exploded due to the high heat, which reached about 1,400 degrees. However, engineers deemed the tunnel strong enough to hold the weight of the passing traffic from above.
By Sunday afternoon, the northbound I-5 was reopened, including the truck route.
Caltrans was able to reopen the southbound I-5 by the morning of Oct. 15, but trucks had to share the freeway with passenger vehicles until the tunnel was reopened just before Thanksgiving.
In the aftermath of that October weekend crash, engineers, experts and crews were called on to suggest and implement improvements to the tunnel in an effort to make it safer.
CalTrans crews removed three inches of charred concrete from the walls and installed new rebar and reinforced metal bars. They also added six inches of new white concrete to the walls and repaved the concrete lanes.
Photo Courtesy of CalTrans
The new concrete that was applied is set to withstand temperatures of up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Crews also added new lighting in the tunnel that is brighter during the day and dimmer during the night.
The speed limit was also reduced from 55 mph to 45 mph, and a device was installed at the entrance of the tunnel which tells truckers how fast they are going when approaching the tunnel.
The Newhall Pass truck tunnel was reopened on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007, more than a month after the initial tragedy.
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It was a sad day for the family of those lost.
The truck lanes are for trucks so that they don’t have to cross freeway traffic lanes where cars are traveling. These trucks weigh 40 tons and do not have the ability to stop or slow down like passenger cars.
Please don’t use the truck lanes unless it is absolutely necessary and leave them to trucks and vehicles pulling trailers
My son was not an infant. He was 6 and he was in the diesel truck with my husband who also died. The other driver that died was also in a truck. No one died that was in a car. Thank you for remembering and writing about the accident. The pain will never go away.