Donovan Chapman, 25, died in the wreck that was reported at about 3:43 a.m. December 21, near the transition from northbound Golden State (5) Freeway to southbound Hollywood (170) Freeway
Pacoima, CA – The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man killed in a crash involving a semi-truck on the 5 Freeway in Pacoima early Sunday morning.
Donovan Chapman, 25, died in the wreck that was reported at about 3:43 a.m. December 21, near the transition from northbound Golden State (5) Freeway to southbound Hollywood (170) Freeway.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash involved a semi-truck and a sedan. The manner in which the collision happened was not immediately released.
The authorities arrived at the scene shortly after and Chapman, who was riding in one of the vehicles, was confirmed deceased at the scene.
At least two northbound lanes of the Golden State Freeway interchange were shut down following the accident. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the CHP.
According to the UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) and its Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) tools, Los Angeles County consistently reports a high volume of traffic collisions, frequently leading the state in fatal incidents. In 2022, the city of Los Angeles alone saw over 300 fatalities, an increase that marked a two-decade high. Recent data for Los Angeles County indicates a troubling trend, with the annual number of serious or deadly crashes climbing from around 40,000 in 2023 to over 58,000 in 2024 (provisional data), averaging approximately 160 serious or fatal crashes daily. Collisions with semi-trucks account for nearly a quarter of traffic deaths in the region, with the majority of fatal accidents crashes occurring on interstates and during evening or nighttime hours. Unsafe speed and improper passing are among the most common crash factors identified through the data analysis.
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