Accidents Snarl Lake Forest Freeway Traffic

Traffic slowed to a crawl on the 5 freeway at Lake Forest on Monday afternoon after a series of pile-ups and stalled vehicles.

At 3:16 p.m., police responded to a report of a gray SUV blocking two lanes at the Lake Forest Drive exit at the 5 north. A tow truck responded and cleared the lanes at 3:37 p.m.

As soon as those lanes cleared, a report came in of a three-vehicle crash at the same exit on 5 north. The CHP issued a SigAlert at 3:57 p.m., closing four of five lanes, while debris was cleared from the roadway.

According to the CHP, an ambulance responded to the crash, though the extent of any injuries sustained was unclear.

At 4:01 p.m., a call came in about a green Pontiac Grand Prix blocking the leftmost lane of the 5 north at El Toro Road. A tow truck arrived soon after and cleared the lane by about 4:30 p.m.

Calls also came in at 4:42 p.m. about another collision, this time near the El Toro Road exit, involving a Kia Rio and a green Toyota Tacoma. No injuries were reported.

At 5 p.m., a live traffic map showed traffic still slow on the 5 north just south of El Toro Road, at Bake Parkway and near the 405 freeway split, and on the 5 south at Lake Forest Drive and Bake.