WRONG-WAY CRASH KILLS MAN TRAFFIC: COLLISION CLOSES 118 FREEWAY FOR SEVERAL HOURS.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

PORTER RANCH -- A 32-year-old West Hills man driving the wrong way on the Ronald Reagan Freeway was killed when he collided with a tractor-trailer rig, which struck another vehicle and burst into flames, authorities said Wednesday.

The truck driver sustained minor to moderate injuries in the 11:35 p.m. crash Tuesday on the 118 near Reseda Boulevard, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement.

Arriving firefighters found a jackknifed big rig and two other vehicles ablaze, and more units were called in to fight flames in nearby brush, LAFD Battalion Chief Mike Arguelles told camera crews at the scene.

The West Hills man, who was not fully identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver, who was from Ohio, was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

The CHP shut down the freeway for hours.

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3 photos

Photo:

(1) Firefighters put out the flames of a big rig after it was hit by a car late Tuesday on the westbound Ronald Reagan Freeway.

(2 -- 3) Police and fire personnel look over the scene of a wrong-way crash in Porter Ranch after a big rig was hit by a car on the westbound 118 Freeway. The car's driver was killed on impact, and one other auto was hit by the big rig. The truck driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, and both east- and westbound lanes were closed for hours for the investigation and cleanup.

Photo by Gene Blevins