A motorist died in a wreck on the Hollywood (101) Freeway in the Cahuenga Pass Tuesday. Lanes on the southbound 101 were closed as California Highway Patrol officers investigated.
The crash occurred in southbound lanes near Cahuenga Boulevard was reported about 4:40 a.m. Authorities said the initial crash might have triggered other crashes.
Preliminary reports indicated that an SUV and small sedan collided near the summit in the pass, causing the sedan to swerve into the median and the SUV to drive up a lawn and into a tree near the Hollywood Bowl. Authorities withheld the name of the SUV's dead driver, a man about 30- 40 years of age, pending notification of his relatives, said Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the coroner's office.
Traffic from the San Fernando Valley into Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles was severely affected, with canyon roads overloaded with lines of cars snaking their way across the Hollywood Hills. Overflow traffic jammed the Golden State (5) and Ventura (134) freeways and clogged alternate arteries through the Los Feliz and Silver Lake areas.
A SigAlert was issued at 5:29 a.m. as officers closed all southbound lanes. At least two lanes reopened at 7 a.m., and the entire freeway reopened at about 9 a.m.