Multiple vehicles were involved in a deadly car crash on the 60 Freeway in California, a crash that was large enough to shut down the highway going in both directions. Reports indicate that a young girl, just five years old, was killed in the accident. There were also 13 people who suffered from injuries in the wreck, which took place in South El Monte.
Two semi-trucks and a tanker-truck with a load of milk were involved in the incident, and the tanker flipped over, spilling a mix of fuel and milk onto the road. Multiple vehicles caught on fire. Photos from the site show the charred remains of a passenger vehicle that burned up almost entirely.
In part, the leaking fuel and the fire caused the authorities to shut down the entire highway, keeping other drivers from danger.
The accident happened about shortly before 6 a.m. Though the investigation is preliminary at this point, the police think that the fact that traffic was slowing down could have caused the chain-reaction crash. It appears that the tanker was coming up behind the traffic and ran into the back of the cars; it also slammed into the center divider on the road, coming to rest there.
The police did not know why the traffic had begun to slow down in the first place, however. The investigation is ongoing.
Four of the injuries in this accident were said to be critical, and one person, the young girl, has already died as a result. This brings light to the fact that everyone has a right to drive on a safe roadway without fear, and they may have legal options when this right is violated, leading to personal injury or death.
Source: KTLA.com, “5-Year-Old Girl Killed in 60 Freeway Crash ID’d; All Lanes Reopen” ASHLEY SOLEY-CERRO, DAVE MECHAM, CHRISTINA PASCUCCI AND MELISSA PAMER, Aug. 14, 2014
