I-5 Reopens After Gruesome Pileup

Authorities still have not identified the victims
By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 15, 2007 6:36 PM CDT
I-5 Reopens After Gruesome Pileup
Two of many trucks burn in the truck lanes of the south/bound Interstate 5 in the Newhall Pass between Santa Clarita and Los Angeles early Saturday morning, Oct. 13, 207. Rain slick roads caused several of the trucks to overturn. (AP Photo/Mike Meadows)   (Associated Press)

Some California I-5 lanes reopened today after Friday's massive 15-truck pileup, but police still haven't assessed blame for the blaze. One trucker phoned a friend after slamming into a semi in the tunnel, the Los Angeles Times reports; he described a fire, vehicles exploded and the line went dead. Police say 3 died in the fire, including a 6-year-old boy.

Rush hour traffic was light today when the freeway opened earlier than expected: "They got a surprise this morning, finding the freeway actually open," said a highway patrol spokesman. "Everybody went to bed with bad news and woke up with good news." Southbound truck lanes will stay closed while authorities assess the tunnel's structural fitness. (More interstates stories.)

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