Truck Crashes Into Freeway Bridge Column

A rental truck smashed into a freeway bridge column and caught fire in Calabasas today, and passersby shattered glass to pull the driver out, the California Highway Patrol said.

The crash on the eastbound Ventura (101) Freeway at Las Virgenes Road was reported to the CHP at 6:33 a.m.

CHP Officer Ed Jacobs said the truck crashed into an overpass, damaging the bridge pillars and a guardrail.

Traffic was snarled on the freeway for several hours as the fire was extinguished and wreckage cleared. Fuel spilled into the middle lanes of the four-lane freeway, leaving just one lane for traffic, CHP officers said.

Jacobs said it was not immediately known if the injured motorist was treated at the scene or transported to an area hospital.

Arriving CHP officers reported that motorists had stopped and were kicking out windows on the burning truck to rescue at least one person inside.

Caltrans engineers were called to see if the overpass columns were damaged by the crash.

-- City News Service