55 Freeway crash in Orange leaves at least 1 dead; all NB lanes closed

ORANGE, Calif. (KABC) -- A multi-vehicle crash on the 55 Freeway in Orange on Friday morning left at least one person dead and prompted the shutdown of all northbound lanes, officials said.

The four-car vehicle pileup was reported about 5:45 a.m. near Katella Avenue, according to a California Highway Patrol incident log.

CHP units and firefighter-paramedics responded to the scene, where northbound traffic slowed to a crawl as the morning commute got underway. Traffic on that side of the freeway was being diverted onto surface streets.

The victim who died was not yet identified, and no other injuries were reported. The cause of the collision is under investigation.