Fiery Crash With Truck Kills Woman

A Palmdale woman died in a fiery crash early Sunday when her car slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder of the Golden State Freeway north of Castaic, authorities said.

Cindy Buchanan, 37, was driving south on the freeway near Templin Highway about 4:35 a.m. when she swerved across several lanes and rammed the back of the truck, California Highway Patrol Officer Joseph Pickar said. Buchanan’s car burst into flames, and she died in the wreckage before emergency crews arrived, Pickar said.

The truck was parked at the side of the road so the driver, Mike Hogan, 47, of Covina could check the brakes before descending the steep grade into Castaic, Pickar said. Hogan, who was inside the cab of the truck at the time of the crash, was not injured.

Pickar said it was unclear how fast Buchanan was driving or why she veered off the road.