The driver of a big rig went on a "wild ride" that began when he drove through a sheet of water on a freeway in Pasadena and ended with a crash that blocked a transition road for hours during a rainy morning drive.
The jackknife crash occurred around 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, according to the California Highway Patrol, after a night of light rain across Southern California.
Paul McClanahan, the driver of the truck that was transporting clothing, spoke with NBC4’s Jacob Rascon after the crash and told him that the crash was a result of the rain and a six-feet wide sheet of water on the road.
"The truck started fishtailing, and once it started fishtailing it just went into jackknife mode and then I couldn't regain it," McClanahan said. "After that, it seemed like forever on a wild ride."
No other cars were in the area at the time of the crash, McClanahan said.
"I normally take this route and I was entering it pretty slow but once I went across that water in the light rain…it locked up on me," McClanahan said.
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McClanahan said that he’s shaken up but feeling ok.
Crews removed the big rig from the transition road and reopened the route later Wednesday morning.
Another big rig crash was reported early Wednesday on the northbound 5 Freeway in Sylmar. That crash was expected to be cleared at about 8 a.m., but traffic problems were already being reported on the 14 Freeway.
