Big Rig Wreck Closes Eastbound 210 and Metro Gold Line at Allen Avenue

A 1 p.m. truck crash on the 210 Freeway has shut down all but one of the eastbound lanes of the freeway and halted Gold Line service between Lake Avenue to Sierra Madre Villa for an indefinite period of time, authorities said.

Traffic is backed up for miles and even the westbound 210, which is open, is significantly affected.

The California Highway Patrol advised the public via Twitter that the eastbound freeway east of Allen will be closed “until further notice.”

The Pasadena Fire Department said the eastbound number two lane is being opened and closed intermittently during the cleanup and investigation. All westbound lanes are open but traffic is significantly affected.

The CHP said the eastbound 210 was not likely to be fully open for hours. Alternate routes to the eastbound 210 include Foothill and Colorado Boulevards.

Metro Update [4:20 p.m.]: Gold Line is setting up shuttle buses from Lake Avenue to Sierra Madre Villa

Metro Update [4:00 p.m.] :  The PCC Goldline Shuttle will resume transportation to the Allen Station as Metro has set up a bus line that will run from the Lake Ave. station directly to the Allen Station.  Delays in student arrival to campus should be expected through the evening due to the heavy traffic in the city.

According to Lisa Derderian, spokesperson for the Pasadena Fire Department, the collision caused a box truck to overturn, and the other truck, which was towing a trailer, to crash through the center divider and hit an “energized” power pole, shutting off the Gold Line service.

Two patients were transported to local hospitals. One, the driver of the box truck, suffered major injuries. The other driver suffered minor injuries. Neither driver has been identified as of yet.

Pasadena Star-News photographer Walt Mancini interviewed eyewitness Garbabed Tutundjian who said he saw one big rig blow a tire and then careen into another truck.

One of the trucks smashed into a Gold Line power pole and burst into flames, Tutundjian said.

Electricity to the Gold Line and parts of the tracks were damaged and could take up to 24 hours to repair.