I-5 Jammed After Wreck Involving Two Big Rigs

A four-vehicle accident involving two big rigs on southbound Interstate 5 freeway at Alicia Parkway caused only minor injuries but created a big 3 1/2-hour traffic backup.

One tractor trailer smashed into the center divider near the freeway onramp. The other, about 100 yards ahead of it, rested on the shoulder, pinning a small white pickup truck.

Authorities are investigating the 12:44 p.m. accident, but say a 1988 Chevrolet Camaro may have veered into the side of one tractor trailer, causing the chain reaction.

Craig Hagenbauch, 21, a passenger in the Camaro, and John Richard, 51, driver of the pickup, were treated for minor injuries and released from Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, hospital spokeswoman Karen Prestia said.

All of those involved were wearing seat belts, and both big rig drivers were uninjured.

Joe Turner, 40, of Garden Grove, said he was driving his big rig when the Camaro allegedly slammed in between the wheels of his 18-wheel truck, causing the vehicle to skid about 200 feet, stopping on the concrete center divider.

“He knocked the wheels out from under me and I literally slid down the road across the lanes,” said Turner, sitting on the side of the freeway staring at his broken truck.

California Highway Patrol Officer Bryon Phillips was writing a speeding ticket on the shoulder when he heard a big bang and saw the huge blue truck slide up into the center divider--parallel to where he was standing. He said Turner pulled himself from the wreckage unscathed.

Turner “was hanging upside down and traffic was still trying to get by,” Phillips said.