2 hurt after crash overturns big rig, sending truckload of onions across Interstate 5

An overturned big rig Saturday clogged both sides of Interstate 5 in southern Sacramento County near Hood Franklin Road, according to the California Department of Transportation, which issued a SigAlert for the incident. Around 4 p.m., Caltrans reported the lanes had been cleared.

The crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. after a pickup truck had cut off the tractor-trailer, which jackknifed and overturned several times from the southbound lanes before landing on its wheels along the center median. Video from social media showed the cab of the big-rig flatted and destroyed, as well as debris strewn across the four-lane roadway.

California Highway Patrol is on the scene, according to Caltrans’ incident management log, and there was no estimated time of clearing. Motorists should expect delays and use alternate routes if possible, the CHP said.

The Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department responded to the scene and found driver of the big-rig and the driver of a Dodge Ram pickup injured but out of their vehicles. Both people were transported to Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center with unknown injuries, though both were conscious, according to the Battalion Chief Kevin McLean.

The tractor-trailer was carrying onions, which spilled across 200 feet of the interstate, necessitating the closure.

This story was originally published October 31, 2020 at 2:20 PM.