1 dies in crash between car, box truck on 5 freeway in Anaheim

One person died early Wednesday, March 13, in a crash that snarled traffic on the southbound lanes of the 5 Freeway in Anaheim.

Just after 2:50 a.m., a box truck was on its side, blocking the carpool lane near Euclid Street, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A damaged red sedan was blocking another lane and soon the CHP called for the coroner and a full closure of the southbound lanes.

“I was just driving down the highway listening to my music and out of nowhere I hear and feel this big bang behind me,” Alex Herrera, the driver of the box truck, said at the scene. “I just felt the hit. … I’m holding onto my steering wheel … and I feel the truck slowly turning.”

The truck – hauling produce to San Diego – slid in the lane toward the center divider before coming to a rest on a side.

Herrera was uninjured but shaken up.

Firefighters with Anaheim Fire & Rescue cut the driver out of the red sedan, which had substantial damage to the front. The passenger in the sedan was pronounced dead at the scene.

Details about what prompted the crash and the condition of the driver were not immediately available. It was unknown when the lanes would re-open.