Traffic in L.A. is a nightmare. In my opinion, it’s really no worse than any other major city; and is, in fact, better than what I used to troll through in the Bay Area. Having said that, traffic in L.A. is a nightmare, and people lose their lives everyday just trying to get to work, or go to breakfast, or take their kids to school, or drive over to their girlfriend’s house, or go to the post office to mail love letters, or stop by KFC or on and on and on.

This particular morning, at least one person lost their life when a tanker truck exploded. Below is an edited report of the accident, as it came in to the dispatcher. It’s interesting, and a little chilling.

(starts at the bottom)

7:30AM – PLZ ROLL SOUTH GATE TO CLARA OVER CROSSING OVER THE 710, CROWD GATHERING THERE

6:13AM – UNITED PUMPING IS 1097 AND WILL OFF LOAD THE REMAINING FUEL FM TANKER – THERE IS HIGH DANGER DUE TO THE GASOLINE FUMES IN STORM DRAINS WHICH WILL REQUIRE THE SB 710 LANES TO BE CLOSED FOR APPROX 1 MORE HOUR – THE NB 710 WILL REMAIN CLOSED FOR APPROX 4 HOURS MORE

5:49AM – BOTH TANKS ENGULFED IN FLAMES / GAS THAT DID NOT BURN DID SPILL – UNK AMOUNT

5:12AM – NEED ADDL FLARES / AND NEED CONES

3:57AM – PLS HAVE CALTRANS RESP A SIGN TRK ,CONES, AND SAND TRK, ADVS SPILLAGE ALL OVER FWY GOING INTO DRAINS TO THE HARBOR

3:41AM – CORONER ALREADY ENRT SB 710

3:39AM – HAVE OFCR ADV MEDIA THEY ARE AT THEIR OWN RISK

3:33AM – VEH GOING NB IN SB FRM FIRESTONE COMPACT CAR W/HAZARDS ON

3:24AM – RUNNING OUT OF FLARES – 15-72 ENRT W/ BOXES OF FLARES

3:20AM – FULL CLOSURE SB 710 AT 5 AND NB 710 AT 105 UNK DUR DUE TO FATAL ACCIDENT

2:42AM – FOAM TK COMING THROUGH CLOSURE

2:28AM – UNDETERMINED IF ANY INJURIES AT THIS TIME

2:20AM – BELL PD TO SEE IF THEY CAN CHECK FOR DRIVER ALSO

2:16AM – ALL LNS BLKD

2:14AM – TANKER INTO TREE FULLY LOADED JUST EXPLODED WHOLE RS ON FIRE

2:11AM – VEH NOW ON FIRE — 1039 LA CO FD

2:11AM – ROLL FD, FIRE ON RS HAVE FD

2:10AM – SEMI EXPLODED AT IMPACT , RS ALSO ON FIRE , UNK OTHER VEH INVLF

2:05AM – VEH FACING W/WAY BLKED OUT IN SLOW LN

2:05AM – BLKING #4 LN–1 VEH SIDEWAYS IN LN