Thousands of Pounds of Fruit Spills onto Freeway in North County Collision of Big Rigs

A collision between two produce-hauling big rigs on Interstate 5 near Batiquitos Lagoon killed a trucker early today and left the roadway blocked by spilled cargo and other debris through much of the morning.

One of the southbound tractor-trailers rear-ended the other near Leucadia Boulevard in Encinitas about 12:50 a.m., then toppled over and burst into flames, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of the overturned vehicle died at the scene, CHP public- affairs Officer Jim Bettencourt said. The victim's name was withheld pending family notification.

The other trucker, a 33-year-old Tijuana man, was uninjured.

The freight of both rigs—tens of thousands of pounds of jackfruit, tomatoes, green beans and bananas—wound up spilled across the roadway, along with diesel fuel.

The entire southbound side of the interstate was shut down until shortly before 5 a.m., when one lane was opened to traffic. A second was cleared in the late morning, and all four lanes were open again by shortly before 1:30 p.m., the CHP reported.

—City News Service