Driver Killed in Glendale Freeway Work Truck Collision

GLENDALE, CA – A 33-year-old driver was killed Monday afternoon when two work trucks collided on the northbound Glendale Freeway in Glendale, according to authorities. One truck rolled several times after the impact and trapped its occupant before coming to rest on its tires.

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Truck Rolled Near Mountain Street in Glendale

The California Highway Patrol received the crash report at about 3:30 p.m. Oct. 19 near the Mountain Street exit, close to Glendale Community College. The collision account identified both vehicles as work trucks but did not name their owners, employers or operators.

A witness told the CHP that a white truck barrel rolled after the collision. The truck blocked freeway lanes, and its occupant was trapped inside. A second work truck remained part of the crash scene, though the initial account did not describe its damage or say whether its driver was injured.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office said the driver of the rolled truck was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy remained pending, and officials had not released a medical cause of death.

Freeway Lanes Closed for Nearly Seven Hours

The CHP’s incident record listed the location as northbound state Route 2 at the Mountain Street off-ramp. The agency issued a SigAlert at 3:49 p.m. and closed lanes 2 through 5 along with the Mountain Street on-ramp while emergency crews worked at the scene.

The closures covered most of the northbound freeway and continued into the night. Authorities reopened the lanes at about 10:45 p.m., nearly seven hours after the SigAlert began. The length and scope of the closure reflected the time needed for the emergency response, the fatality investigation and removal of the damaged trucks.

Cause Remained Under Investigation

The preliminary reports did not explain how the two trucks came into contact or identify their lanes and movements before impact. They also did not state whether speed, impairment, a mechanical problem or road conditions contributed to the collision. No arrest, citation or formal finding of fault had been announced.

Because both vehicles were described as work trucks, the investigation would need to identify each driver, the businesses operating the trucks and the registered owners before any responsibility could be evaluated. The public reports did not establish whether either driver was working at the time or whether the trucks belonged to the same company.

Those ownership and employment details are directly tied to the reported collision, but their absence from the first public accounts does not establish liability. The latest confirmed developments were the reopening of the freeway Monday night and the medical examiner’s pending autopsy. The CHP had not released a final collision sequence by Tuesday morning.