Big Rig Crashes Onto Gold Line Tracks, Snarls Commute

A big rig that smashed through a center divider onto train tracks on Thursday shut down a stretch of a Southern California freeway for almost 12 hours and cut rail service snarling the afternoon commute.

The crash involved two big rigs on the eastbound Foothill (210) Freeway in Pasadena at 1 p.m.

The crash closed all eastbound lanes for hours and disrupted Metro Gold Line service in the area, authorities said.

All lanes had reopened around 12:45 a.m. Friday.

Rail service was expected to be suspended between the Sierra Madre Villa and Lake stations for at least 24 hours due to one of the big rigs landing on the rail tracks that divide the 210, according to the California Highway Patrol.

As the big rig hauling a farm tractor plowed onto the tracks, it struck one of the Gold Line's power poles, knocking down wires that will require at least a day to repair, Metro officials said.

The other big rig ended up on its side and its driver was taken to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries, according to Lisa Derderian of the Pasadena Fire Department.

The driver of the big rig that went onto the tracks suffered minor injuries and was also taken to a hospital, she said.

The drivers, both men, were solo occupants of each big rig, Derderian said.

The crash backed up freeway and surface street traffic in the area. Metro was using buses to shuttle passengers around the Gold Line closure.

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