A fatal crash involving several vehicles shut down the northbound 405 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley early Monday morning.
Initial reports indicated that a wrong-way driver may have slammed into the center divider at Sherman Way around 4:30 a.m.
The California Highway Patrol later said none of the vehicles were headed the wrong direction, but a 28-year-old Sylmar man in a 2004 Acura TL died after colliding with a 2020 Toyota Camry and 2022 Ford F-250.
“We did not see anybody being taken out of the vehicle [that crashed into the center divider] so this could turn out to be a fatality crash investigation,” KTLA 5’s Rich Prickett said shortly after the collision. “It does not look good at this point.”
Sky5 footage showed first responders surrounding one car and attempting to cut the doors off to gain access to the occupant or occupants.
The drivers of the other two vehicles, a 49-year-old Los Angeles man who drove the Camry and a 50-year-old Lawndale man who drove the pickup truck, were not hospitalized but rather agreed to seek medical help on their own, according to the CHP.
Closures on the freeway lasted until nearly 11:30 a.m., according to the CHP.