Critical stretch of 5 Freeway partially shut down after semi-truck crash during holiday travel rush 

Multiple lanes of the northbound 5 Freeway in Los Angeles County have been shut down following a crash involving a semi-truck during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, and the closure is set to last well into the morning. 

According to the California Highway Patrol, the incident was first reported just before 3 a.m. Sunday south of the Parker Road exit in Castaic. 

The truck drove off the roadway, taking out part of the guardrail as it did so and falling into a waterway, authorities told KTLA. 

Many precautions are being taken to ensure that the fuel from the truck doesn’t leak into the waterway; officials confirmed an hour after the crash that the #3 and #4 lanes would be closed for approximately six hours. 

“[The waterway] basically will drain into the ocean, so we are going to control that spillage and make sure and make sure there isn’t any fuel that goes into the waterway as we extract the vehicle,” said Vincent Mendez of Freeway Towing Company, one of the agencies working to clear the scene. 

The cause of the crash is under investigation, and the driver of the semi truck was said to have been transported from the scene to receive medical attention.

Authorities are advising anyone who needs to travel through the Grapevine on Sunday morning to drive with caution and pack their patience.