NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (Sept. 12, 2024) — A stalled pickup truck set off a crash Thursday on the Hollywood 170 Freeway, just south of Sherman Way in North Hollywood.
At least four vehicles were involved in a series of collisions that began at 4:43 a.m. on Sept. 12th in the northbound lanes of SR-170, according to the California Highway Patrol dispatch.
Initially, someone called 911 to report a disabled, blacked-out pickup truck blocking the fast lane and middle lane of the freeway.
A witness told investigators they saw another vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the HOV lane when it struck the disabled pickup.
At least two other vehicles including a black Chevrolet Tahoe SUV and a van apparently crashed into the pickup, causing a passenger from one of the cars to be ejected.
Also, a grey Honda Civic involved in the crash became engulfed in flames.
Several vehicles struck debris in the roadway and pulled to the right shoulder. One of them, a black Hyundai Sonata, struck a tire from the crash and was disabled on the right shoulder. A grey Toyota Tundra pickup truck also pulled to the right shoulder.
One driver in a grey Nissan Sentra called 911 to report the vehicle hit the disabled vehicle. The motorist told authorities they pulled off the freeway and were waiting to speak to police in a post office parking lot.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded and had to extricate at least one person trapped in a vehicle who was having trouble breathing. Another person was ejected from a vehicle into a drainage canal on the right embankment. One of the drivers told police “he forgot that he had a passenger,” the report said.
It’s unknown how many people were hospitalized after the collision.
Investigators are working to determine liability for the crash on the Hollywood 170 Freeway.