A 27-year-old man who died in a vehicle collision on the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway when an SUV struck a stationary vehicle was identified by medical examiner’s officials Wednesday.
The crash occurred around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday on the northbound 605 Freeway just south of the Artesia (91) Freeway, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson said.
The victim, James Vazquez, whose place of residence was not immediately available, died at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office.
Video from the scene showed a Cadillac SUV traveling at a high speed colliding with a sedan that was stopped behind a tow truck, causing sparks to burst from the smoking vehicle.
The tow truck driver was then seen running from the wreckage to avoid debris and later attempting to stop traffic on the freeway before CHP officers and Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel responded and closed the road.
A man was recorded trying to escape from a vehicle that drifted into an embankment.
One driver at the scene was examined for sobriety, video showed, but no arrests were announced.
A Sigalert was issued at 2:01 a.m. with only two northbound lanes open. All lanes were cleared at 4:45 a.m. and the Sigalert was canceled, according to the CHP.