Pre-dawn pileup near 4th Street in Boyle Heights involved a big-rig and several cars, closing lanes and snarling holiday traffic.
LOS ANGELES, CA — One person was killed and at least 10 others were taken to hospitals early Sunday after a semi-truck and multiple vehicles crashed on the southbound 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights, where one car caught fire and lanes were shut near the 10 Freeway connector, authorities said.
Officials said the wreck was reported shortly after 5 a.m. near 4th Street, a busy stretch that funnels traffic from Eastside neighborhoods toward downtown. Firefighters extinguished a vehicle fire and triaged more than a dozen people on the freeway. The collision triggered a hard closure of the southbound lanes and the transition to westbound Interstate 10 during the morning commute on the final holiday weekend of the year. Investigators from the California Highway Patrol are examining what led to the chain of impacts as crews worked to remove debris and damaged cars from the scene.
Emergency dispatch records show responders arrived within minutes of the first 911 calls. The Los Angeles Fire Department said crews assessed 15 people, transporting 10 to area hospitals; the conditions of the injured were not immediately disclosed. One person died at the scene. “Our companies encountered a multi-vehicle crash with a semi-tractor trailer and a vehicle on fire,” the department said. Southbound lanes were closed between 4th Street and the connector to the westbound 10 as troopers established a wide perimeter and investigators documented skid marks, damaged barriers and final rest positions of the vehicles. Tow trucks and a heavy wrecker were requested to move the big-rig and several disabled cars.
By midmorning, officials said it remained too early to determine the exact cause. It was not immediately clear how many occupants were in each vehicle or whether speed, impairment or weather played a role. The crash location—just south of downtown and near several complex interchanges—often sees tight merges and shifting traffic patterns as drivers position for ramps to Interstate 10 and State Route 60. Paramedics took patients to multiple hospitals across the Eastside and downtown corridor. Authorities did not immediately release the name, age or gender of the person who died, pending notification of relatives by the county coroner’s office.
The Golden State Freeway is one of Southern California’s busiest north–south routes and remained crowded during the holiday period. In recent weeks, CHP has warned of higher crash risks in the early-morning hours when visibility is lower and overnight freight traffic mixes with passenger vehicles returning from seasonal trips. The Boyle Heights corridor, cut by the 5, 10 and 60 freeways, includes narrow shoulders and short weaving sections that can magnify the effects of sudden slowdowns. Sunday’s crash comes days after weather systems brought intermittent rain and slick pavement across the basin, though conditions at the time of the wreck were not immediately detailed by officials.
Investigators are expected to review freeway camera video, witness statements and data from the semi-truck’s electronic control module to reconstruct the sequence of impacts. CHP will also analyze whether any hazardous materials were onboard the big-rig; none were reported released. The agency will conduct standard impairment screenings for involved drivers as required under state protocols. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner will determine the exact cause of death for the victim. Crews inspected guardrails and the roadway surface for heat damage from the vehicle fire before reopening lanes in stages once debris was cleared and investigators finished measurements.
Drivers caught in the closure described an abrupt stop-and-go as emergency units converged. Headlights etched long lines across the lower deck of the 5 as firefighters pulled hose lines and troopers pushed onlookers back behind flares. “It was just smoke and flashing lights—you could smell the burnt rubber,” said Mario Delgado, who said he was headed to work in downtown Los Angeles when traffic halted. Others reported detouring through surface streets in Boyle Heights as navigation apps re-routed vehicles away from the interchange, creating backups near Mission Road and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue.
As of late morning, CHP had not announced arrests or citations tied to the crash. The transition road from southbound Interstate 5 to westbound Interstate 10 remained closed while investigators completed documentation and tow operations. Officials said they would release further details about the victim and the injured once next of kin had been notified and hospitals confirmed conditions. CHP asked anyone who witnessed the impacts or who has dashboard camera footage from around 5 a.m. near 4th Street to contact investigators at the agency’s East Los Angeles office.
Authorities said the southbound lanes would reopen in phases once the big-rig and wrecked vehicles were removed and the scene was rendered safe; no specific time estimate was given Sunday. The next formal update is expected from CHP after collision investigators complete preliminary findings later today.
Author note: Last updated December 28, 2025.