Truck Accident Ties Up Freeway Traffic

A Santa Maria trucker hauling a load of celery lost control of his rig before it flipped on the Ventura Freeway in Camarillo early Thursday, authorities said.

Driver Anthony William Cochiolo, 32, was not injured in the 2:40 a.m. crash, which occurred on the southbound lanes between Las Posas Road and Carmen Drive, California Highway Patrol Officer George Orozco said.

The crash forced the closure of the slow lane for more than six hours and caused a 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. traffic backup that stretched more than three miles into Oxnard, Orozco said.

All three southbound lanes were closed for about 15 minutes at one point to allow a tow truck to reach the scene, officers said.

Cochiolo was going to a Los Angeles produce market when he was cut off by a car, officers said. When Cochiolo swerved, authorities said, his tractor-trailer slid onto the dirt shoulder, and when he over-corrected, the rig flipped on its side.

The celery was stored in boxes and stayed intact. The trailer with the celery was hauled back to Santa Maria, a tow company owner said.