Fiery I-5 collision in Sacramento kills driver, closes northbound traffic
A collision in Sacramento between a tractor-trailer and a pickup truck on northbound Interstate 5 near Sutterville Road killed the pickup’s driver in a fiery crash that closed that direction of the highway for hours Saturday morning.
The crash on I-5 just north of Sutterville Road happened just after 7 a.m., according to California Highway Patrol dispatchers, when the drivers of a semi-trailer and a Toyota Tacoma truck collided. The pickup truck caught fire on impact, trapping its driver inside.
The truck became fully engulfed and the semi-trailer had also caught fire as CHP officers blocked the interstate at Fruitridge Road.
CHP officials in an afternoon news release said the pickup truck stalled in the No. 3 northbound lane after losing a tire. The driver of the tractor-trailer, towing two trailers, saw the stalled vehicle too late to avoid the collision. The semi driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Sacramento County Coroner’s officials had not identified the driver as of Saturday afternoon, pending notification family.
By 7:25 a.m., all lanes of Interstate 5 north of Sutterville Road were blocked and California Highway Patrol had issued an alert advising motorists to use alternate routes and expect delays.
The section of northbound Interstate 5 reopened to traffic before noon, the CHP said in an update to social media.
The fatal collision sent debris from the semi-trailer’s haul across the highway and triggered at least two other collisions, including a wreck on southbound I-5 near 43rd Street as drivers stopped to pick up debris from the roadway, according to the CHP. The extent of their injuries was not known.
This story was originally published September 13, 2025 at 9:57 AM.
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