A single driver died after a Kia Optima slammed into a Boyle Heights overpass during the early hours Thursday, triggering a SigAlert that snarled the morning commute for more than four hours.
The crash unfolded around 2:15 a.m. On the northbound 5 Freeway when a concerned caller reported the vehicle as a suspected DUI driver, according to authorities. Minutes later, the sedan veered off the roadway and plunged down an embankment, wedging itself beneath the overpass with catastrophic force.
The impact crushed the car’s right side, leaving firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department to pry the mangled Optima from its trapped position beneath the concrete structure. Video footage from the scene showed the extensive damage as crews worked in the predawn darkness, with a growing backup of vehicles visible waiting for first responders to clear the area.
California Highway Patrol officers imposed a hard closure of the northbound 5 Freeway to the eastbound 10 Freeway connector, compounding the gridlock. The SigAlert remained active as of 6:20 a.m., stretching past the height of rush hour.
An investigator from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner was assigned to the crash, though officials have not released the identity of the deceased. The exact circumstances leading to the fatal wreck remain under investigation.
An evidence tow truck finally extracted the demolished vehicle from the scene around 6:00 a.m. CHP officers began lifting the road closure at 6:43 a.m., restoring flow after nearly four and a half hours of disruption.
Boyle Heights sits just east of downtown Los Angeles, making the 5 Freeway through the neighborhood a critical artery for cross-city traffic.
The fatal wreck comes amid a grim week on Southern California roadways and in its skies. Earlier this week, a news helicopter covering a bus collision in Chatsworth spiraled out of control and crashed, adding to the region’s string of transportation tragedies.
