10 Freeway back open in Rialto after deadly crash prompts 16-hour closure

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Saturday, February 17, 2018
10 Freeway back open in Rialto after deadly truck crash
Both directions of the 10 Freeway in Rialto were reopened Saturday morning, more than 16 hours after a fiery crash killed five people.

RIALTO, Calif. (KABC) -- Both directions of the 10 Freeway in Rialto were reopened Saturday morning, more than 16 hours after a fiery crash killed five people.

Some lanes on the eastbound and westbound side reopened overnight, but a full reopening of all freeway lanes happened at about 8 a.m.

A full closure of the 10 Freeway around Riverside Avenue was prompted Friday afternoon after a large concrete pumping truck plowed through the center divider and collided with four other cars and a motorcycle driver on the eastbound side of the freeway.

Five people were killed. The truck driver only sustained minor injuries and another driver walked away unharmed.

At one point during the closure, drivers were trying to avoid the traffic standstill by driving through a sandy area off the side of the freeway, but many drivers in smaller cars ended up stuck.

AIR7 HD captured footage of a raised truck driving through the sand to help pull the vehicles out of the sand trap.

It was unclear what caused the truck driver to lose control of the vehicle.