Intense Santa Ana winds toppled several big rigs on the 15 Freeway near the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County on Wednesday morning, the California Highway Patrol said.
Officer responded to four separate incidents on the 15, three on the northbound side and one on the southbound side, according to CHP’s incident log.
Three of the big rigs fell over near Sierra Avenue in the Fontana area, while the fourth happened at Glen Helen Parkway in the San Bernardino area, the log showed.
Approach the area with caution. #Caltrans8 https://t.co/ZzGdl6fTFu pic.twitter.com/BzTcFYvlro
— Caltrans District 8 (@Caltrans8) October 30, 2019
One person complained of pain, but no other injuries were reported, said CHP Officer Boatman.
Crews worked to move the semi-trucks to the side of the road, as it is too windy to attempt to upright them, Boatman said.
They eventually had to tow the large vehicles out of the area on the sides, Caltrans video showed.
A SigAlert was issued on the southbound 15 south of Sierra and lanes were closed, according to CHP. Crews were nearly finished clearing the road as of 2:15 p.m., and the lanes were expected to open shortly after that.
Two northbound lanes of the 15 near Glen Helen were closed at one point, but both have been reopened.
The crashes occurred as the strongest Santa Ana event of the season was forecast to hit the Southland. Powerful winds with gusts of up to 70 to 80 mph were expected to hit the area between Tuesday night and Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
KTLA’s Nancy Fontan contributed to this story.
Update: SB I-15 at Sierra. One more truck to go! Please remember to slow down and make way for emergency services going in and out of the area. #Caltrans8 pic.twitter.com/w2cVOPhAiY
— Caltrans District 8 (@Caltrans8) October 30, 2019
Update #2: SB I-15 at Sierra. Getting lanes cleared and cleaned to allow full travel. Standby. pic.twitter.com/97mdnjluG8
— Caltrans District 8 (@Caltrans8) October 30, 2019