Dashcam video captured a spectacular multi-vehicle crash on a California freeway Tuesday morning, including the moment a sedan rolled over the center divider and landed upside down in oncoming traffic.
The crash happened around 5:30 a.m. Aug. 18 on the southbound 170 Freeway in North Hollywood, just south of Oxnard Street, according to the California Highway Patrol information reported by KTLA.
Exactly what led to the collision remains under investigation. The dashcam footage, however, provides a remarkably clear look at several seconds of chaos involving a pickup truck and multiple cars.
Despite a vehicle crossing the center divider and ending up on its roof in opposing traffic, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said no one involved was taken to a hospital.
Pickup Swerves Left, Sending Car Over The Divider
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The footage begins with the dashcam vehicle traveling southbound in relatively light early-morning traffic. Ahead, a dark-colored pickup can be seen with its right turn signal blinking.
Instead of moving right, the pickup suddenly veers sharply to the left.
A smaller sedan is traveling alongside it in the carpool lane. The pickup strikes the car, which is forced toward the concrete center divider and begins to roll.
The sedan tumbles over the barrier as sparks fly from contact with the pavement and concrete. It lands upside down in the northbound lanes and continues sliding on its roof toward approaching traffic.
The pickup is not finished moving, either. Its rear wheels briefly lift from the pavement before the truck swings back toward the right and collides with at least two more vehicles.
The dashcam driver slows and manages to thread through the wreckage without becoming another participant in the crash.
No One Was Taken To The Hospital
Considering what the video shows, the reported outcome is striking.
Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to the freeway, but officials told KTLA that no one involved was transported to a hospital.
The crash nevertheless created a substantial mess for the morning commute. Aerial footage showed tow trucks working to remove damaged vehicles while CHP officers redirected drivers around the scene.
Traffic reportedly backed up for roughly three miles to Roscoe Boulevard as crews worked to clear the freeway.
Investigators had not announced what caused the pickup to move across the freeway or whether any driver could face charges.
The footage also leaves one particularly conspicuous question unanswered: why a pickup displaying its right turn signal abruptly moved in the opposite direction.
Whatever investigators ultimately determine, the video is an unusually vivid reminder of how quickly a routine freeway drive can turn into a multi-lane pileup. In this case, even a car crossing the center divider upside down did not result in anyone being taken to a hospital.