Two collisions shut down traffic lanes on 405, 101 freeways; at least 1 reported killed

A pair of violent collisions — at least one of them fatal — closed down multiple lanes on two major L.A.-area freeways early Monday.

The northbound 405 in the San Fernando Valley was shut down after a fatal early-morning crash involving several vehicles. The California Highway Patrol told KTLA that the crash occurred at around 4:30 a.m. at Sherman Way when a Sylmar man, 28, driving an Acura TL collided with a Toyota Camry and a Ford F-250. The Sylmar motorist was killed in the crash, the TV news outlet reported.

A California Highway Patrol spokesperson confirmed to The Times that the investigation was ongoing. A SigAlert was issued, and all northbound lanes were closed at Sherman Way until 11:15 a.m.

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The shutdown brought the morning commute to a crawl. Officers were allowing motorists to use the right shoulder to pass, according to the CHP spokesperson. Drivers should anticipate an additional delay of 30 minutes.

Another crash occurred Monday morning on the southbound 101 Freeway near the shared exit to Santa Monica Boulevard and Western Avenue around 6:45 a.m., KTLA reported.

A CHP officer said the collision involved injuries but did not confirm any casualties or provide any other details about the crash.

The two right lanes and the on-ramp to the 101 were closed. But as of 11:30 a.m., all lanes had reopened; the SigAlert alert for this accident expired at around 9 a.m. Caltrans employees, however, could still be in the area cleaning up debris from the crash, the officer said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.