Truck hauling gravel overturns on 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa; lanes reopen

Several lanes of the southbound 55 Freeway just north of the connection to the 73 Freeway in Costa Mesa were closed for about five hours Tuesday afternoon after a truck overturned and spilled gravel and oil onto the roadway.

The crash, involving a large dump truck hauling gravel, was reported to the California Highway Patrol at about 11:40 a.m., Officer Florentino Olivera said.

The truck’s driver told authorities that the left rear tire blew out, which caused him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into the center divider. The force of the crash apparently caused the truck to flip onto its side, Olivera said.

The driver was taken to a hospital with minor to moderate injuries, Olivera said.

Crews responded to clear the debris from the lanes. At 2:30 p.m., only the far right lane was open. All lanes had reopened by 5 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported.

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UPDATES:

5:10 p.m.: This article was updated with all lanes reopening.

This article was originally published at 3:05 p.m.