A pickup truck driver died Thursday morning after ramming into the back of a big rig on the Altamont Pass, the California Highway Patrol said.
The crash kept two lanes closed on southbound Interstate 205 until about 8:30 a.m., when the CHP lifted a Sig Alert for severe traffic. The wreck happened about 5:30 a.m. where I-205 splits from eastbound I-580.
Authorities did not immediately identify the man at the wheel of the pickup, pending notification of his relatives.
Alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the wreck, CHP spokesman Officer Tyler Hahn said. An initial investigation showed that the pickup truck hit the rear of the semi at a fast speed.
“He came up on the semi at at a pretty good clip,” Hahn said. “We don’t know what the speed of the big rig was, so it may have been slowing down or stopped. We’re not sure. But we think the driver didn’t notice that the big rig was slowing down.”
The big rig driver was not injured, Hahn said.
The CHP closed the I-205 junction at I-580 and diverted eastbound traffic to Patterson Pass Road during the three hours after the crash.
Check back for updates.