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Drunk Driver Who Hit Tanker on 134 Cited for DUI, Released
Photo by LAFD via Flickr
The driver of a vehicle that struck a tanker truck on the 134 Freeway, leading to a massive fire, was cited for a DUI and has been released.
25-year-old Hakop Maghakyan of Glendale was speeding in his 2010 Honda when he struck the rear trailer of a gas tanker late Saturday night, causing a massive fire, notes City News Service. Both Maghakyan and the unidentified tanker driver escaped uninjured.
Maghakyan was arrested at the scene, but was released even before the 134 Freeway Westbound at the 5 Freeway was re-opened Sunday night. It took until about 10 p.m. Sunday for all lanes to get the all-clear due to ongoing safety hazards, damaged guardrails, and fires still burning hours after the crash.
According to Caltrans engineers, there was wood burning at the scene in the hollow connector ramp bridge that had been left in place as part of the construction over 50 years ago. Some of that wood was still burning 10 hours after the accident.
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