UPDATE: Northbound 101 lanes reopen after semi-truck driver killed in crash with tree
GAVIOTA, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol re-opened the northbound Highway 101 lanes around at Winchester Canyon Road late Thursday morning after a deadly single-vehicle accident caused an hours-long closure in the early hours.
The reopening of the northbound lanes come after several hours of a full closure when a semi-truck traveling northbound around 4:50 a.m. veered off the roadway and hit a large tree, according to the CHP. The highway was closed shortly after, at 5:15 a.m.
The driver, a 41-year-old Compton resident, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. He died at the scene.
Tow trucks were brought in to remove the trailer and CalTrans tree trimmers will have to remove parts of the tree in the center divider.
One southbound lane was closed off and on due to the need for traffic to be diverted.
The CHP reported that the closure was lifted at 10:35 a.m., and CalTrans confirmed it at 11:20 a.m. Traffic in the area of the crash site remained slow for hours.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation, and the identity of the deceased was not immediately available.
