Los Angeles County, CA : Two people killed and third person injured when a car and two trucks collided on Highway 126 at Chiquito Canyon Road Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Two people were killed and a third person injured when a car and two trucks collided on Highway 126 at Chiquito Canyon Road Tuesday, shutting down the highway in both directions.

At least one other person was seriously injured and taken to a hospital, said Inspector David Dantic of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The multi-vehicle crash involving a stake bed truck, a big rig and a car occurred around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday about a half mile west of the Chiquita Canyon Sanitary Landfill, leaving the smaller truck in the slow lane of eastbound Highway 126 traffic with a crushed cab.

The big rig, also with a crushed cab, was left on its side in the eastbound left-turn lane onto Chiquito Canyon, California Highway Patrol reports indicated.

“A Toyota Corolla was coming off of Chiquito Canyon Road going southbound and entering traffic on the westbound lanes,” CHP Officer Josh Greengard said.

“Subsequently, on the westbound lanes there was a stake bed truck traveling westbound. Those two vehicles collided, sending the stake bed truck into the eastbound lanes.”

The big rig was heading east and the two trucks collided head on, Greengard said.

“The trailer hit the side of the big rig, sending both vehicles onto right shoulder,” the CHP officer said. The driver of the stake bed truck was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, officials said.

“The Toyota Corolla (driver) and the big rig (driver) succumbed to their injuries at the scene,” Greengard said.

The stake bed truck was hauling a load of lemons, and the collision scattered lemons across all lanes amid the crumpled cabs of both trucks.

All lanes of Highway 126 in both directions were closed to traffic for more than six hours. One lane in each direction was opened at 4 p.m. A Fire Department hazardous materials scene remained on the scene well past 4 p.m. cleaning up diesel spilled from one or both trucks.

Officials had not released the names of the victims late Tuesday afternoon.

Source :
UPDATE: Two confirmed dead in Highway 126 truck crash