Local News in Brief : Seal Beach : Freeway Snarled After Corvette, Big Rig Collide
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A Huntington Beach man was injured and morning traffic on the southbound San Diego Freeway was stymied for 2 hours Friday after a tractor-trailer rig and a car collided in Seal Beach.
The 5:45 a.m. crash forced police to close all but the slow lane and a car-pool lane that is under construction.
California Highway Patrol Officer Bill Jacques said a Camaro sideswiped the rear of the truck as it entered the freeway from the San Gabriel River Freeway. The 65-foot truck swerved across three lanes and collided with a Corvette, which was crushed beneath the big rig’s front end and caught fire.
The Corvette driver, Gary Hedge, 27, of Huntington Beach, escaped the fire but suffered a 6-inch gash on his head that required 30 stitches. The truck driver, Charles Loquet, 60, of La Puente, doused the flames with a fire extinguisher.
Several other minor accidents then occurred on the northbound and southbound sides of the freeway because of sudden stops from rubbernecking, CHP Officer Leslie Hill said.
The Camaro’s driver left the scene and has not been identified.
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