2 separate overturned big rigs cause cleanup and traffic mess across East Bay highways

Wednesday, September 11, 2024 7:06PM
2 separate overturned big rigs cause mess across East Bay highways
Early Wednesday morning a big rig carrying lawn sod overturned in Oakland and a big rig hauling produce overturned and caught fire in San Leandro. Both incidents caused major backups.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Two separate big rig crashes in the East Bay are causing major traffic issues Wednesday morning.

In Oakland, all lanes were blocked on westbound Highway 24 near northbound SR-13 west of the Caldecott Tunnel due to an overturned big rig. They are now all open.

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The big rig was carrying approximately 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of lawn sod, according to CHP Oakland.

The big rig was on its side and the driver was taken to the hospital for possible injuries.

The CHP says the sod fell out of the big rig, spreading over the lanes. This portion of the freeway was closed for about five hours while crews cleaned it up. It finally reopened around 10 a.m. Wednesday.

It took ABC7 about two hours to travel the 5 miles to the scene because of the traffic backup.

The cause of this wreck is still being investigated. The CHP says as far as they know, no other vehicles were involved.

Meanwhile in San Leandro, the northbound I-238 to northbound I-880 connector has reopened hours after a crashed big rig flipped on its side and caught fire early Wednesday morning.

The truck was hauling produce and SKY7 shows the mess of the accident with the burnt trailer tipped over and the contents over the road. ABC7 News has been told the driver is OK.

The CHP says that traffic is still being diverted from northbound I-238 to southbound I-880. There was no estimated time given for the lanes' reopening. Motorists are advised to used alternate routes.

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