Crash in Westminster Kills Trucker

A driver was killed Friday when he lost control of his tow truck and crashed into the concrete median on the southbound San Diego Freeway in Westminster, police said.

The 6:05 p.m. accident, which closed the carpool and passing lanes in both directions, backed up southbound traffic to the Lakewood Boulevard exit in Long Beach and northbound traffic to Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa.

The truck apparently blew a tire, causing the driver to lose control, said Officer Mark Reeves of the California Highway Patrol.

The impact pushed the driver through the windshield, and pinned him underneath the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Rescue workers were still trying to retrieve his body from the wreck late Friday and had not positively identified him, Reeves said.

Debris from the shattered median spilled into the northbound lanes, and a large traffic sign fell on top of the truck.

The tail of the vehicle initially blocked two southbound lanes, and its cracked fuel tank was leaking, Reeves said. Officers later closed two more southbound lanes to make room the cleanup crew, leaving only one lane open.

Reeves said the cleanup was likely to continue into the night.

Though the crash happened at the height of rush hour, he said, no one else was hurt.

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to contact the CHP at (714) 892-4426.