A wrong-way vehicle struck a U-Haul box truck on the westbound 210 Freeway near the 118 in Lake View Terrace just before 6 p.m., igniting the box truck and triggering additional collisions. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and assessed four patients, with at least one person taken to a nearby hospital. Multiple lanes were closed for several hours; traffic was restored to normal around 10:30 p.m. Authorities are investigating the incident.
Fiery Wrong‑Way Collision on Westbound 210 Near 118 Injures Several, Shuts Lanes for Hours
Officials said that at least one person was transported to the nearby hospital following the crash.
A multi-vehicle collision on the westbound 210 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley left several people injured and closed multiple lanes for hours Saturday evening.
LAFD and CHP responded to the fiery crash on the westbound 210 Freeway. Instagram/claudias91111
According to officials, a car traveling at high speed in the wrong direction struck a U-Haul box truck just before 6 p.m. near the junction with the 118 Freeway in the Lake View Terrace neighborhood. The impact ignited the box truck and was followed moments later by a second crash involving multiple other vehicles.
The lanes on the freeway were closed for several hours until 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. Instagram/claudias91111
Los Angeles Fire Department: "Firefighters and paramedics responded to a traffic collision involving at least two vehicles on the westbound 210 Freeway. Firefighters extinguished one box truck involved with fire; four patients are being assessed for treatment/transport."
Fire crews from the Los Angeles Fire Department extinguished the blaze while officers from the California Highway Patrol worked to secure the scene. Officials said at least one person was transported to a nearby hospital; four people were assessed by emergency personnel on site.
Crystal Alch, a witness at the scene, said the incident was "truly terrifying." Instagram/claudias91111
Traffic was heavily affected: for a time only one lane remained open on the westbound side, and crews had cleared the closed lanes and restored normal traffic by about 10:30 p.m.
Social media footage from the scene showed emergency personnel working amid burned wreckage and blocked lanes as firefighters doused flames and cleared debris.
Witness account: Crystal Alch, a Santa Clarita resident who said she was returning from Big Bear with her husband and their five-month-old, described the incident as "truly terrifying." She reported seeing a black car enter the freeway the wrong way before it collided with the box truck.
"My husband, my 5 month old and I were in the carpool lane and multiple cars scrambled to get out of the way but when the wrong way driver saw the box truck, it ran straight into it," Alch wrote. "The box truck erupted into flames and we just missed the fire on the road. I've been shaken up since. I hope everyone involved survives. We are praying for you."
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances that led to the wrong-way driving and the subsequent pileup. No immediate details were released regarding charges or the full condition of all involved.
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