San Gabriel Valley Tribune
By J.D. Velasco
INDUSTRY, Calif. — A delivery truck carrying a load of 35,000 avocados tipped over near interchange between the 60 and 605 Freeways Tuesday afternoon, snarling traffic in the area for a few hours.
The truck came to rest on its side on the northbound 605, just north of the 60, blocking several lanes of traffic in the process. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
The truck’s load of avocados seemed to be largely spared any serious damage, with only a few boxes coming loose and tumbling about inside the truck.
“It looks like the load did not spill,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Krystal Carter.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue, Hazmat and Heavy Rescue crews responded to the scene, said fire Inspector Don Kunitomi. In all, about 25 emergency workers, including CHP officers and Caltrans workers, responded to the incident.
Kunitomi said a small oil spill resulted from the crash, but it stayed mostly in place and did not cause any major problems.
The driver did not suffer any serious injuries, but was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
While officials worked to right the truck, three northbound lanes of the 605, as well as transition roads from the 60 Freeway remained closed from about 1:45 to 4:20 p.m., Carter said.
Meanwhile, traffic on the northbound 605 backed up for about a mile southward, reaching Peck Road.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation and no details were immediately available.
There were some concerns that the accident would cause another nightmarish commute for San Gabriel Valley residents who suffered through intense gridlock following the destruction of a Montebello Freeway Bridge last week, but by peak commute time, traffic through the area seemed to be flowing normally.
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