Big rig carrying 27 tons of concrete sand overturns on I-680

ByAmanda del Castillo KGO logo
Friday, October 5, 2018
Big rig carrying 27 tons of concrete sand overturns on SB I-680
A big rig overturned carrying 27 tons of concrete sand on southbound lanes of I-680 near Bernal Avenue in Pleasanton.

PLEASANTON, Calif. (KGO) -- A big rig carrying 27 tons of concrete sand overturned on southbound lanes of I-680 near Bernal Avenue in Pleasanton.

The CHP says a newer white Honda Civic sideswiped the big rig before 5 a.m., causing the driver to swerve and hit a black Accord.

The driver of the Accord has been hospitalized.

The big rig driver then hit a guardrail, overturned and spilled his load across several southbound lanes.

Israel Gonzalez was behind the wheel. He was hauling the tons of cement sand to Fremont when he was sideswiped. Gonzalez was able to walk away from the accident without injuries.

"I'm really, really lucky because I'm still alive. You can see my truck," Gonzalez told ABC7 News. "I just feel really, really bad because you know, because I don't want to hurt nobody."

The crash and concrete sand spill led to bumper to bumper traffic at the beginning of Friday's morning commute.

The CHP says the driver of the Civic was initially involved in a hit-and-run with a silver Infiniti up north, near Stoneridge. The Infiniti then started following the Honda Civic traveling southbound on I-680, according to authorities.

A witness reported two vehicles driving recklessly before the Civic sideswiped the big rig, officers said.

"There's about a mile and a half between this accident scene, between this and Stoneridge," CHP Officer Kevin Johnson told ABC7 News. "The initial hit-and-run accident was not connected to this."

Officers connected with the driver of the Infiniti.

Authorities are continuing their search for the driver of the Civic, who is wanted for felony hit-and-run.

Two lanes have been reopened and all lanes are expected to reopen sometime this afternoon.

See drive times and traffic maps here.