By Mary O’KEEFE

Traffic along the Foothill (210) Freeway corridor was (in a word) wild last week. There were not one but two fires involving semitrucks traveling westbound on the 210 Freeway – one that ignited the brush on the side of the freeway. About an hour later there was a traffic collision that involved two semitrucks and a vehicle. According to California Highway Patrol, the two semis collided and then struck a vehicle. One of the semitrucks toppled onto the vehicle. 

And the freeway wasn’t the only area that was dealing with traffic incidents last week. There was a traffic collision on Rosemont Avenue and Foothill Boulevard, and then a pedestrian was struck at the same intersection. The pedestrian had minor injuries, according to CHP.

All of these traffic incidents are still under investigation by CHP; however, all drivers had valid driver’s license and it appeared no driver was affected by alcohol or drugs. 

“It was a crazy week,” said CHP Officer Alec Pereyda. “This happens sometimes – things just tend to pile up for no particular reason.”

Pereyda added that although last week’s accidents are still under investigation, often speed and distracted driving are issues that cause accidents. 

He noted that when semitrucks are involved it exacerbates the accident because so much damage is caused. 

“When these trucks crash they basically cause mayhem; multiple cars involved with multiple lanes that need to be closed down,” he added. 

In these larger accidents CHP may have to call for more resources, which takes time. This can mean that traffic will back up quickly and spill onto surface streets in the Crescenta Valley area, which means Foothill Boulevard and Montrose and Honolulu avenues will become busy. 

There are a lot of semitrucks that travel the 210 Freeway and, at times, they can be seen occupying every lane of the freeway; however, in California, semitrucks and vehicles with three or more axles are restricted to the two far right lanes when highways have four or more lanes moving in the same direction. 

Although CHP does patrol the 210 Freeway and surface streets in the unincorporated areas, CHP officers cannot be on every road all the time. 

CHP Officer Shanelle Phillips advised that if any driver witnesses concerning behavior of drivers, specifically semitruck drivers, to call 9-1-1 to let local officers know. 

There are a variety of reasons why accidents occur ranging from driving under the influence to distracted driving and speeding. 

“We want to tell drivers that when you’re driving that is your main focus,” Pereyda said. 

“Distracted driving is very dangerous and it is impossible for the human brain to multitask, to do two things at the exact same time … all you’re doing is switching between two tasks very quickly. If you are going to be driving – focus on driving.”