Semi-Truck Crash on 210 Freeway in Irwindale Leaves One Dead

IRWINDALE, CA – A woman was killed and 32 others were injured Saturday morning when a semi-truck crossed the center divider on the 210 Freeway in Irwindale and jackknifed into oncoming traffic, triggering what the Los Angeles County Fire Department called a mass casualty traffic collision.

The crash was reported just before 9 a.m. near the Irwindale Avenue exit, according to the California Highway Patrol. The semi — a 2016 Freightliner Cascadia hauling a trailer bearing Target branding — was traveling eastbound when the driver made an unsafe turn into the median, sending the truck through the concrete center divider and across the westbound lanes. A 58-year-old woman driving a 2015 Ford Transit in the westbound HOV lane was unable to avoid the truck and collided with the front right of the Freightliner. A second Ford Transit traveling directly behind her struck the right side of the trailer. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene; her identity was not released pending next-of-kin notification.

A Target spokesperson confirmed the trailer was operated by a third-party carrier and that the driver was not a Target employee. “We are deeply saddened by a fatal crash involving a Target trailer near Irwindale, California,” the company said in a statement. “We’re working closely with local law enforcement and will refer additional questions to them at this time.”

Firefighters and paramedics arrived at the scene at 8:57 a.m. and found multiple vehicles with heavy damage spread across both directions of the freeway. Two people sustained critical injuries and were transported to hospitals. Eight others with minor injuries were also transported, six of them juveniles. Twenty-two additional people declined medical transport, according to the LA County Fire Department. Dashcam footage obtained exclusively by ABC7 showed the semi veering off the right shoulder before crossing the divider and striking the westbound vehicles.

At 9:14 a.m., CHP issued a SigAlert shutting down all westbound lanes between Irwindale Avenue and the 605 Freeway. The eastbound carpool lane and two left lanes were also blocked. The SigAlert was canceled at approximately 3:40 p.m. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

210 Freeway at Irwindale and Truck Crash Risk

The 210 Freeway stretches roughly 87 miles through the San Gabriel Valley, connecting Pasadena to the Inland Empire. The segment near Irwindale — situated between the 605 and 57 interchanges — carries a mix of high-speed commuter traffic and heavy commercial freight serving distribution centers throughout Los Angeles County’s eastern corridor. The freeway has seen multiple large-truck incidents in recent years, including jackknifing events, median breaches, and multi-vehicle pileups, several of which prompted SigAlerts in the same stretch of roadway.

The 210 functions as a primary bypass for the 10 Freeway, and commercial truck volume along this corridor remains among the highest in the region outside of the port-adjacent I-710 and I-605 corridors. When a heavy commercial vehicle loses control at freeway speeds, the physics of the event are categorically different from a passenger-car crash — a jackknifed 80,000-pound rig sweeping across multiple lanes leaves opposing motorists with virtually no time to stop or maneuver.

California Vehicle Code § 22406 caps commercial trucks over 10,000 pounds GVWR at 55 mph on all California roads regardless of the posted speed limit. On a freeway where passenger vehicles travel at 65 to 70 mph, that differential creates a persistent speed-mix hazard. The statute also creates legal significance: a truck driver who exceeds the commercial speed limit violates California law and can be found negligent per se in a civil action, significantly strengthening an injured victim’s claim.

Civil Liability in a Cross-Median Truck Crash

When a commercial vehicle crosses a center divider and strikes opposing traffic, the resulting civil liability analysis typically encompasses the driver, the carrier, the company whose cargo is being hauled, and any third-party maintenance provider who serviced the vehicle. California Civil Code § 1714 establishes the baseline duty of care owed by every person to those around them. In the commercial trucking context, that duty runs not only to the driver but to the motor carrier that hired, trained, and dispatched that driver.

Under federal motor carrier regulations and California law, trucking companies bear independent obligations to maintain their equipment, enforce hours-of-service rules, and ensure drivers are qualified for the routes they operate. When those obligations are breached — through mechanical failure, inadequate driver vetting, or fatigue-related impairment — the carrier’s liability extends beyond the driver’s own negligence. Investigators in this case are examining mechanical failure, driver error, road conditions, and the possibility of a medical emergency as potential contributing factors, according to CHP.

Victims in this crash driving westbound on the 210 may have claims under negligence and products liability theories, depending on what the investigation determines about the condition of the truck and the driver’s conduct. The woman killed, if found to have surviving heirs who qualify under California Code of Civil Procedure §§ 377.30 and 377.60, may give rise to a wrongful death action. Surviving seriously injured victims may pursue economic and non-economic damages including medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering under CCP § 377.61. The statute of limitations for personal injury and wrongful death claims is generally two years under CCP § 335.1.

Because the evidence in a cross-median truck crash degrades quickly — black box data, driver logs, inspection records, tire condition, and dashcam footage all require prompt preservation — time is a material factor in building a case.

If You or a Loved One Was Involved in the 210 Freeway Truck Accident

The families affected by this crash face a difficult road, and the legal process for commercial truck cases is more complex than a standard car accident claim. Carriers and their insurers typically deploy investigators to the scene within hours; the victims’ side benefits from moving just as quickly.

J&Y Law represents families across California who have been seriously injured or lost a loved one in large-truck collisions. The firm takes these cases on contingency — no fees unless you recover.