‘Stuck with nowhere to go:' How a fiery crash caused a traffic nightmare for drivers going to Vegas

The northbound 15 Freeway remained closed the day after a crash involving an overturned semitruck, resulting in a miles-long traffic backup that stranded Las Vegas-bound drivers. READ MORE: abc7.com/post/...

[@ishihtzuknot]

I’m sorry but that is just ridiculous.

[@garyjohnson1970]

Cluster FCK

[@kendallevans4079]

Watching all the CHP and other 1st responder "heros" yuck it up and scratch their butts sucking up the overtime must be infuriating to these people stuck. Gov. employees don't care about citizen inconvenience, that's the last thing on their tiny minds.

[@Will0398]

@@ishihtzuknot it’s crazy that I-15 is the ONLY connection between LA and Vegas, two metros totaling more than 20 million people. Every weekend traffic is bad on this highway, there’s even terms for it locals use, “Going away Friday” and “Coming home Sunday”

[@Mountainman524]

@@kendallevans4079all they care about is their triple time and cops and firemen making $200,000. It’s a total SCAM.

[@nomercyinc6783]

too many moronic drivers overpopulating the roads is whats ridiculous. accidents happen. get the fuck over it

[@OneshotMovement]

Imagine that one semi truck over turned causing a huge meltdown. Oh we are in for a rude awakening .

[@DraggonCanoe]

It happens everywhere all the time. Too many ass clowns who hold steering wheels instead of driving!!!!

[@1oGuCntB]

Fact

[@1940limited]

Let's all buy an EV!

[@tiffanyisaacson1407]

Terriost will just attempt to attack more infrastructure 😢

[@johnnymichael1804]

It's already happening. 50% of Tesla buyers are trading in for gas cars. People are slowly waking up to the red herring that's been "eLeCtRiC cArS"

[@andysteward8617]

It’s never about safety, it’s about showing the little people who is in control

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

Thank you you will stand in line you will shut up you will be happy and you will vote blue

[@AprilTeniente-eu1mj]

@@davidOConnor-z3lYou shut up!

[@superstringsbro]

This is the biggest cluster fu*k I have ever seen. I was there and was worried for kids lives because it was so hot.

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

You should go to the border you will see a cluster f@ck 10,000 times worse on a daily basis

[@mike60521x]

keep voting blue no matter who - they are turning the us into a thhird world country

[@RoseanneSeason7]

So basically people ran out of gas by running the AC?

[@superstringsbro]

@@RoseanneSeason7 not all. Even late at night people were running out of gas. I saw like 4 tow trucks pass me after midnight

[@jen30551]

​@superstringsbro Glad you're ok. In '96 there was a similar situation. We sat most of the night on the 15 with a baby. Fortunately it was early spring so we were ok. That heat is nasty and doesn't let up much at night.

[@alexanderleach3365]

Nothing worse than being stranded in the middle of nowhere.

[@Joshy1313]

With zero service lol

[@jimmybee4893]

Or stranded at the Airport for days!

[@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059]

They could have turned around and gone home. But didn't.

[@creatorsfreedom6734]

wow look at all that Dirt i wish my 4 wheels could drive on that

[@superstringsbro]

​@@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059it's not easy to drive home at 4 AM when you've been stuck 8+ hours already.

[@timedj9164]

Took them 40 hours to realize they have to move it off the road? wtf.. someone need to get fired!

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

DEI placements cannot get fired

[@residentpotato6023]

Pete BootyJuice to the rescue!

[@MH-eu1dr]

Ummm not quite. It’s a lithium battery fire. You do know what happens when you put water on lithium right? Also here’s a list of gases that can form and are nothing to mess with it When a lithium-ion battery experiences a thermal incident, it can release flammable and toxic gases into the air as a vapor cloud. These gases can include: Hydrogen (H) Methane (CH) Carbon monoxide (CO) Hydrofluoric acid (HF) Hydrogen chloride (HCl) Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) Sulphur dioxide (SO2) In order to move something that heavy you need a lot of specific equipment which probably isn’t gonna work so well with hydrofluoric acid spewing out. You pretty much gotta wait for these kinds of fires to put themselves out or use very specialized fire foam. Good luck with that in the middle of the desert.

[@1990758]

Would you wanna breathe those chemicals? And turn around and sue the state because you have cancer.

[@jerradwilson]

75K pounds of burning hazmat material spewing toxic gases is not easy to move. The soil wherever they move it to would have to be removed due to contamination.

[@nicolev6348]

These poor people are stuck. No gas, No cell service, Nowhere to go and it is about 125° This is an Absolute Failure!

[@thaimassage23]

Not for the workers that are assigned to clean up this mess.

[@billmoran3219]

But lithium batteries are going to save the environment from fossil fuels?

[@cocoweepah]

😂

[@dontcare5304]

Haven’t fossil fuels been the main reason for many wars killing millions? Not sure anyone has died from this🤷🏽‍♂️

[@JohnPhilpott-q5k]

Oh and can you imagine being in an electric car in this mess. Good luck finding a charger. At least with gas you can get a small amount just to get moving

[@DraggonCanoe]

@@JohnPhilpott-q5k A solar charger will do the same,,, Mo Ron.

[@DraggonCanoe]

Ever see a five thousand gallon gas tanker wreck????

[@victorsvideos27]

OMG…..We are NOT prepared for any type of catastrophe, none…..This is outrageous!!!

[@mikejohn0088]

NO---it's called perfect planning.

[@ghost4-6]

😮 ask your president about it. Or pothole Pete

[@jinxterpinxter]

@@ghost4-6Was Trump prepared for COVID?

[@sonsofisstvan1675]

@@jinxterpinxterwho mentioned trump?

[@jinxterpinxter]

@@sonsofisstvan1675 Was Trump prepared for COVID or not?

[@richbrake9910]

115 degree weather and no water. Always carry a few gallons of water when crossing the desert.. Some people left their vehicles running until the engine died from running out of fuel. Idling is the worst thing you can do to an engine.

[@Supernumerary]

I imagine they kept the engine running to power the A/C.

[@richbrake9910]

@@Supernumerary probably, and putting.a little wear on the engine is better than heat stroke .

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

But we are fat lazy Americans and we need air conditioning every single moment of our times if we are not sitting on our asses with an air conditioner and then we think we are being brutalized

[@krazieecko]

The level of incompetence by CHP not having any solution to detour traffic off the freeway and telling people to go home is insane

[@superstringsbro]

I was there. Not even a sign saying road closed. Fuking Morons

[@LordMaxwellx]

Except that's the only road, Can't blame the police cause these slugs wanted to go to Sin city

[@danielroque8504]

CHP are very incompetent...

[@flyerbob124]

It’s obvious you have never driven that highway. Not a whole lot of places to get off it or to turn around. Mostly sand between the lanes and you would get stuck for sure.

[@oldguy2764]

I suggest YOU start moving mountains immediately. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@PeterWilliamson-nn9et]

If these batteries present such a hazard why are they legal, emergency workers seem unable to cope

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

Because they’re a sham department like most other state departments are nowadays under the gravel groups of crime family

[@lilmike2710]

Lithium batteries *ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT* going to save *ANYTHING* 😳 It's a money grab taking advantage of people's gullibility

[@devengudinas1649]

Not at all

[@ouivalerie]

It's worse than that. They explode so easy, it's designed as part of end times. At 2:03 looks like the dash came caught an object in the sky that might have had something to do with it. I don't see a reason for the truck to have turned over, so maybe he got a laser strike.

[@darrennew8211]

Batteries aren't a power source. They're a form of storage of energy. The only reason they're dangerous is they store the oxidizer along with the reducer.

[@lilmike2710]

@@darrennew8211 Thanks for that, Professor Obvious. 👍

[@Freesavh1776]

Buu buuu but climate change! 😂😂😂😂😂 Dear God what a joke. These batteries are a lethal danger to the world in of itself. They are extremely toxic. So throwing them away destroys the earth. Mining the material for them destroys the earth. And when they have a problem , ITS A MAJOR PROBLEM. Now imagine you e got a couple of ev's charging in an underground parking garage to a multi story residential building. 1 starts going into thermal runaway. Sets the other ones off. Just being in the smoke for a few seconds will render you unconscious. Not to mention the extremely high temps weakening the structure. Get where I'm going. Cities don't have comprehensive plans to deal with a single Li battery fire. Much less a multi Li fire.

[@Bluestar-bh3bf]

What’s worse than traffic being forced to sleep in the middle of a hot desert at triple digit temperatures sleep tight everyone hope you all pull through in the morning

[@richardmorris7063]

Don't let the bed bugs bite! Teehee

[@bourbontrail565]

Celebrate and buy an EV.

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

Those conditions are heaven compared to voting democrat

[@ReynaldoAba-h9e]

go reverse, if stuck go across the brightline

[@ShiddyFinkelstein]

Courtesy of the state. Between incompetence and corruption you can't even get to Vegas without a crisis.

[@SirGriefALot]

Why can't they let people turn around and go back to the closest off ramp so they can wait at an IHOP and not the middle of nowhere?

[@JamesMcGillis]

On this stretch, there are no offramp, IHOPS, rest stops, or fuel stations. There is no easy solution.

[@robertsantiago953]

Ppl on site dont have the authority to make that decision and have to follow order from the boss who's very likely still working from home after 3 1/2 years of being vaccinated . Iam sick of ppl working from home not working

[@bloopbloopbloops]

​@@ingridfitz5677that's exactly what i would do

[@chrisdonish]

​@@ingridfitz5677vast majority of people lack common sense to perform any form of problem solving.

[@mikejohn0088]

No off ramps and turning into the sand is not a good option unless you have a Hummer.

[@joevarga5982]

The handling of this is UNBELIEVABLE. People could DIE in the heat. No bathrooms for days? This is a crime against humanity. Heads should roll for this.

[@RavenSpells4]

People don't care 😂😂😂

[@pwilliable]

New fear unlocked.

[@yotamwoldemichael443]

😂

[@UnkillableTrump]

That's some Final Destination/TWD/AHS level horror. Thankfully not The Hills Have Harris, I mean Eyes level

[@DraggonCanoe]

Sheep always look for some reason to be afraid. Give the crowd the show they clamor for my friend!!

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

Don’t go giving Timothy McVeigh any new ideas please

[@DraggonCanoe]

@@davidOConnor-z3l LMAO!!!!

[@debbiew.7716]

Did they think to turn the other side of the road into a two lane road temporarily to get people past the hazard? Crazy how their are so fe solution! Remember the burning man disaster? Keep plenty of food and water in your cars folks, especially on trips.

[@rndmvar]

The semi trucks, newer* SUVs**, newer* pickup trucks**, and electric vehicles are too heavy for that loose desert sand in the middle. They will sink and become stuck. *vehicles made larger than their 1990s, and earlier versions **assuming they have street tires, which won't grip the sand properly

[@jimda4910]

​@@rndmvarthere are Highway Patrol turnarounds every few miles.

[@smoke617]

@@rndmvaryou could have a temporary gravel road made in hours with just a few pieces of equipment. There is no excuse for people wanting 2 days on a highway!

[@bourbontrail565]

@smoke617 is that equipment EV powered?

[@rickerhart907]

Stop making sense they are the government and know better😂

[@jucutan]

One truck with Lithium Batteries caused backup for miles, It sounds too ridiculous! Something else is going on there they cannot tell the public.

[@recallsexplained7648]

Someone needs to be fired over this. Outrageous incompetence.

[@hellephant4268]

Pete Buttigieg is monitoring the situation. We are in good hands.

[@riskingmybiscuit4209]

This is a reason why you don’t buy an electric car you get stuck in traffic your shit out of luck

[@h8GW]

I didn't hear any news about people running out of charge on the highway, just gas, mister-one-man propagandist.

[@wintersantiago2274]

Who are all these people who run out of battery charge in traffic?

[@DraggonCanoe]

Ever read about SOLAR CHARGERS???? I have several that I keep in my Jeep and truck and boat and even my jet ski. Yeah, FREE electricity in the middle of freaking nowhere. You can even run a computer off of them,,, surprise, surprise!

[@danielbass2895]

​@@h8GW00:53 'providing charging for EVs'

[@earlfithian2147]

@@h8GW I read comments on the local newspaper. There were many EV's that died. Welcome to the world of disinformation. If there was one ICE that ran out of gas and 200 EV's that died the only one the press would talk about is the ICE,

[@cowboy7189]

theres litterally 2 lanes open on the other side why not move traffic to that other side to 1 lanes and merge the traffic

[@Bernicemarie]

My friend was supposed to go to Vegas this weekend with her family as a way for the kids (her brother and cousins) to have some fun before school starts. They were supposed to leave Saturday but I don’t know if they left. I was supposed to go with her family, but I’m lowkey happy and glad I didn’t go. Edit/update: my friend and her family did make it to Vegas. They left at 9am and didn’t arrive until 6; they took the I-40 instead of I-15.

[@kevinmiller-ri4mo]

Sounds like they're having fun to me.

[@Bernicemarie]

@@kevinmiller-ri4mo oh I know. My friend, her family, and I live not that far from the accident. The reason why I didn’t go is because my friend’s husband decided to go with them. I love going to Vegas, but in this weather, I’ll pass.

[@richardmorris7063]

Lowkey? You don't like sleeping in a car in the middle of the desert?

[@Bernicemarie]

@@richardmorris7063 nope and I’ve lived in the desert for most of my life.

[@voiceofraisin241]

One thing I learned. In this type of situation the chp does not care about the drivers stuck. In this video you can see the southbound side. There were only a couple of vehicles. The chp could easily reroute traffic around the accident and back onto the northbound side. They just don’t care.

[@leevahal900]

If they had to reimburse or compensate these people for the inconvenience they would have been rolling days ago.

[@mustangracer5124]

Or if they had to work for a living

[@rayray4192]

Driving on interstate 15 is a privilege; not a right. You are a moron.

[@DaxBruce-kv4vf]

Lol the sin of inconvenience 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@rayray4192]

@@leevahal900 driving on Interstate 15 is a privilege- not a right. If you don’t like the way Caltrans and CHP manage interstate 15 you can walk your ass to Vegas.

[@6ec6YRFPTcC]

​@@rayray4192that many people stranded for days in those conditions is a total failure of government.

[@izzy69ize]

So what's going to happen in the future when you get 50 electrical cars piled up together in an accident, and they all have lithium ion batteries.

[@douglasross594]

RWNJ will whine and cry and nobody will listen to them.

[@SlidewaysMotion]

They discharge slowly and controlled as the packs are designed unlike this massive fireball you dumb bumpkin

[@NatWarrior3167]

Totally agree!!👏👍🎯

[@imtheeastgermanguy5431]

What will happen in the future when 50 fossil fuel powered cars pile up in a accident? Gas will burn much faster or even explode.

[@kathleenredick275]

Bring the hot dogs and marshmallows. 😒

[@Dreaminclouds315]

Omg that's a nightmare. god bless those people

[@mikejohn0088]

Well at least the rest of California has no challenges.

[@joevarga5982]

God blessed them with this nightmare. Maybe lay off the blessings.

[@HeydaCarreras]

@@joevarga5982 Yeah, very stupid idea.

[@Ocean_breezes]

This is ridiculous. They can't get the crash off the highway? Incompetence at its best

[@abc123lov7]

It's not incompetence. Those batteries are extremely toxic. It's fatal if you breath the chlorine they are emitting. It's not the vehicle chp is worried about it's the chemicals being released into the air. The only incompetence is what you're displaying.

[@mel3687]

@@abc123lov7 there are autonomous heavy equipment machines that could’ve been used to move the crash without risk of injury in an explosion-seeing as they’re driverless. But an easier solution would’ve been to excavate a temporary detour-road to guide traffics around the area outside the parameter of the toxins. Either way, incompetence and limited funding seem to be the issues here

[@Echo4Papa]

@@mel3687You didn’t READ the message you just commented on, did you?

[@mel3687]

@@Echo4Papa the op commented on removing a crash from the highway, which could’ve been done with autonomous vehicles without exposing people to toxic chemicals, as was the concern raised. Then I mentioned s separate solution that would’ve involved even less risk. Did YOU read the comment before posting? 😆

[@mel3687]

@@Echo4Papa and I mentioned risk of explosion because that seems to be the larger concern outlined in the news report when discussing the removal of the wreck, which you apparently didn’t listen to.

[@notenote2004]

Unprofessional and un capable of handling an emergency

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

Juli/you leave DEI out of this

[@jonnnybfly]

The California state government should have had a contingency plan where they would send in a constitution crew/civil engineers to cut out large sections of the metal guardrail, so that California Highway Patrol could have redirected traffic over to the I-15 southbound lanes, instead of thoughtlessly forcing people to sit on I-15 for 2 days in dangerous, scorching heat.

[@derrickdiaz3419]

Bet that guy is so glad he listened to his wife 😣

[@OneshotMovement]

😂😂😂😂 never listen to your wife always a bad idea

[@derrickjenkins2455]

Lol, they missed their stage time anyway, they might as well have turned around.

[@JamalInshallah]

Always a bad idea

[@tomasom4497]

Lithium-ion batteries... The green solution? LOL… so good for the environment.

[@allergictostupidpeople7893]

I love Trump's -- THE GREEN NEW SCAM

[@TheSasquatchNation]

I worked two years at a lithium-ion battery plant in Holland, MI….since then I’ve been telling everyone that there is NOTHING green about those batteries.

[@imtheeastgermanguy5431]

​@@TheSasquatchNation there is nothing green either on combustion cars. They are even more dirty and much less efficient. Electric is better but I agree that making batteries and ev cars could be cleaner

[@Meggiemoo99]

There was a fire at a plant in San Diego (Brown’s Field) that burned for over a week. Crickets from the environmentalists.

[@daveassanowicz186]

How many US military died for oil again?

[@MaryOKC]

Seriously - they haven’t figured out how to put out a fire from these batteries. .. this is really absurd and obviously just as bad as a nuclear meltdown.

[@robinjonson4186]

The fumes from those lithium batteries !! Nasty ..The worst !! Should be banned,so dangerous for air quality..

[@mustangracer5124]

But really REALLY good for the profit portfolio's of the communist 'mandator' govt. investors.

[@smedleybutler1969]

@ItsmeMafaka Not too cool because you cant run your AC it kills your battery!

[@DraggonCanoe]

I have breathed it in more than once, it does suck.

[@santiagopino2407]

One truck one driver 50 mile back up. What do you think our enemy’s are thinking.

[@georgiabobcat8695]

almost on purpose 🤔

[@shelbynamels7948]

With a gross vehicle weight of 80 000 lbps there is no way the load weighs 75 000 lbs. if it did, it would have needed a permit and a three-axle or stretched-out trailer to distribute the load. Unlike my initial impression, this is also not a standard shipping container. It seems to be purpose-built for this load, including refrigeration units set in the wall. Only time will tell how this mess came to be, but just wait for John Cadogan to feature this on his channel.

[@jchawkjr2]

You really think there’s no overweight trucks on the road? 😂😂😂😂

[@six-pack1332]

I believe they were referring to the gross weight of the vehicle.

[@jerradwilson]

Trucks can be heavier with a permit, especially if it's hazmat cargo. This particular load is a battery pack for a solar farm.

[@LittleBudd13]

Total gross vehicle weight. Ron Burgundy reads everything on the teleprompter. Have a good night and Fu you san de eggo

[@shelbynamels7948]

@@jerradwilson thanks for that. None of the news channels had this extra bit of info

[@yankeetothecore]

The incompetence we are seeing these days is just ludicrous.

[@keithwhitlock726]

Ever hear of a bulldozer?

[@phillee8257]

My thoughts exactly.

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

That was suggested but it was ruled out due to BLM bulldozer lives matter

[@mrsmyth1116]

Dig a hole and push dawg 😅

[@GregLakatosChradm]

This is a complete failure of the system and everyone involved needs to go.

[@DraggonCanoe]

It is California, just another day in liberal utopia.

[@raybrensike42]

I'm waiting for a sequel to the movie Christine, this time, the EV.

[@DraggonCanoe]

Not a bad idea.

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

They are making one but in the new movie the car is not heterosexual

[@DraggonCanoe]

@@davidOConnor-z3l LMAO!!!!

[@IKhanNot]

Clean that nonsense up and get things moving. thousands of people don't need to be affected because one person decided to drive poorly.

[@russellhix6802]

Imagine if that had been diesel tanker. The fire and mess would have been cleaned up with in 18 hrs and the roads would be open. But with lithium, days later still stuck in traffic 😂😂😂😂😂

[@williamwallace8164]

You GOTTA LOVE that "Green New Deal"! Isn't IT wonderful??!!

[@allergictostupidpeople7893]

​@@williamwallace8164GREEN NEW SCAM

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

Everybody needs to have the courage the balls and the gumption to simply drive around they cannot stop every single person they cannot give every single person a ticket everyone has the right to take the chance into the road live at the wrong time and they can pass by and they don’t have to sign a waiver

[@selanryn5849]

@@williamwallace8164 The Saudi royals appreciate your loyalty.

[@SteveSmith-eb6ze]

There is more to this. Batteries? Seriously? Bs,that truck was hauling something else!!

[@jefftuckercfii]

My wife and I got caught up in this insanity leaving Las Vegas at 10:30 AM on Friday morning, July 26 bound for Temecula. We were advised to exit the I-15 southbound at Baker and use Kelbaker Rd (127) to reach I-40. We travelled some 20-25 miles east on Kelbaker only to be stopped dead in the middle of nowhere. Upon hearing there was a bad rollover crash some distance ahead, we decided to turn around and backtrack to the I-15 northbound. We went back to Nipton exit, drove to Searchlight and then down 95S to I-40W via Goffs Rd. After a short distance on 40, we used back roads to get us down through Amboy, Wonder Valley, Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, Morongo Valley, I-10W, 79S just west of Beaumont, down through Hemet and finally into the Temecula Valley. All in all it turned into about 10 hours and over 500 miles of driving to get around this fiasco. On the positive side we got to see some stuff and go through areas we've never been before.

[@DMG1777]

Of course. Lithium Ion batteries. 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️

[@robertsantiago953]

Imagine those in a airplane or ship 😮

[@josiesouth275]

They should be banned >fire-hazards and dangerous to humans & the environment and long term toxic effects, and fueling unquenchable fires...it's obvious they are far worse than gasoline

[@mikejohn0088]

@@robertsantiago953 stay tuned for tomorrow's news.

[@hawkeye9793]

Things that make you say hmmm

[@smedleybutler1969]

@@robertsantiago953 You don't have to imagine it because it has already happened multiple times!

[@MrErpolitics]

Gross incompetence by the CHP and transportation authorities to quickly and effectively resolve the traffic issue

[@samuelg3586]

It's probably more dangerous to stop the highway for that long than the risks of the batteries exploding.

[@richardjohnson2965]

I would’ve crossed the median, and went the other way….get out of there. Why wasn’t there a CHP unit directing people to do that? I was a state trooper in a northern state….and we would always start turning people around to clear the area. This is totally absurd.

[@jimmybee4893]

Those batteries should be in a special Trailer with special racking to keep batteries locked down and separated from the other batteries to avoid this dangerous shipping condition!

[@mikejohn0088]

That's a job opening for ya!

[@josiesouth275]

They should be banned >fire-hazards and dangerous to humans & the environment and long term toxic effects, and fueling unquenchable fires...it's obvious they are far worse than gasoline

[@J00Ls]

Probably trying to save money .

[@UnknownPascal-sc2nk]

That would require a change in national transportation regulations. (that would be the best option). Unfortunately SCOTUS just ruled that Congress has to pass a specific law for every little contingency, 100s of thousands of potential scenarios. Otherwise every change has to be ruled on in court. That should only take a 100 years.

[@Dantana424]

​@@UnknownPascal-sc2nkyour qualified Secretary Pete is on it. So that means nothing will happen

[@1958zed]

Incomplete reporting. What caused the truck to roll over? Driver inattention? Mechanical failure? Accident with another vehicle? Swerving to avoid a reckless driver?

[@iraqifoodcart8447]

I have a 4x4. That all looked like mostly flat dirt. I would've just gone onto the dirt and went around 😂

[@gimcrack555]

Me too. Where we going, we don't need roads.

[@h8GW]

I would've done this in my Accord

[@superstringsbro]

I was in a minivan. A 4x4 would have made it easy. It was pitch black. No cop would have seen you or cared. I saw a guy in a Honda accord get stuck in the middle trying to turn around.

[@GeckoHiker]

I never go on a 20 mile plus trip unless I'm in my fully equipped, gasoline powered, 4x4 off-road camper van. We use the hybrid for local trips only.

[@MrDhdiaz]

They have some heavy equipment on scene, make the road in the opposite direction two way for a distance around the obstacle, create the crossovers thru the median and the situation will become easier for travelers.

[@Glocktavius_the3rd]

This kind of traffic stop happens every weekend on the 15. I was stuck on the 15 last year for 7 hours due to an accident. The best advice is to leave early and never travel on a Friday/sunday

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

The best advice was to go back in time when traffic/congestion /road rage DUI was an oxymoron

[@LD-jv9vq]

Seems like thousands of people ready to revolt from dying in the desert would take priority over one truck of burning batteries.

[@Will0398]

Maybe this is a sign ONE outdated 4-lane highway shouldn’t be the only connection between two metros totaling 20 million people.

[@jerradwilson]

True. It should at least be expanded to at least 8 lanes from Barstow to Las Vegas. And the 40 freeway should be at least 6 lanes between Barstow and Oklahoma City. I've driven to the east coast and back numerous times, and the 15/40 stretch is always the most crowded with too many trucks.

[@shelbynamels7948]

I think this incident is going to be featured prominently in the new promotional material of Brightline's HSR LA to LV.

[@KevinSmith-qi5yn]

It's not. There is a rail service and plane service as well. Most people prefer to drive. There are a few older side roads, then detours in the 70ish mile range. The I15 has a service road the entire way once you reach the desert. If you have a motorcycle there is a dirt trail, but not something you should take alone and unprepared.

[@Will0398]

@@KevinSmith-qi5yn Amtrak service to Vegas was suspended in 1997, so no there is no “rail service.” Flying is ok (I’ve flown from LA to Vegas) but with the price of plane tickets, parking and time at the airport might as well drive. And those service roads aren’t much help, they are dirt and most cars wouldn’t do well with that option.

[@user-pg5yy5he9m]

Is that stupid all the people that in a fucking desert with nothing around all people are stuck in an strait line. Even rescuers did not move wrecks to the desert leave the highway free. Is that the level of stupidity we are living?

[@mt3311]

Havard Rd is 44 miles from Baker, and 18 miles back to Yermo Rd. The CHP should have closed the road at Yermo Rd, so travelers could use 40 go back 63 miles to the Kelbaker Rd. exit to Baker. Or the 110 miles to JCT with CA 95, which takes them through Searchlight to Vegas. I suspect when they closed the road, they were not anticipating it be closed so long. Closing it at Yermo, and rerouting traffic to Vegas EB on 40 would not have caused a backup. Traffic, would have went on about their business. I have worked that road extensively from Barstow, on the 15 all the way to the state line, at Primm. About 110 miles or so. They will have to 0 to 100 miles more out of their way, or sit. The Kelbaker Rd way is 227 miles through the real middle of nowhere, to Baker, then back on the 15 to Vegas. The Hwy 95 way through Searchlight is 230 miles, and there is more civilization, and most of it is 4 lane.

[@abc123lov7]

I 40 had a 50 mile backup. It took 9.5 hours to get thru it. All because of a quarter mile, 1 lane closure due to construction...ugh 🙄

[@ouivalerie]

When they build some roads there's emergency turn around spots to go back the other way.

[@mt3311]

@@ouivalerie It is against the law to use the Interstate turnarounds in California. Only CHP and State County, Municipal, and emergency first responder vehicles are authorized to user them , unless the CHP directs you to. Using that is a hazard.

[@mt3311]

@@abc123lov7 There is a way from Yermo Rd, to Kelbaker Rd, and the The National traills Highway is still there. Was the backup before or past the Kelbaker turnoff?

[@rodyoutsey8786]

So it's hazardous material when it's on its side but it's not hazardous material when it's right side up?🤔 What a scam!

[@bourbontrail565]

Buy a EV in celebration. We need more big batteries on the road.

[@myoung48281]

@@bourbontrail565 Yes you need more big batteries on the road. Don't pretend this traffic jam is the reason not to support EV usage, you hated them prior. On top of which you know literally nothing about climate change.

[@DraggonCanoe]

It is not hazardous. Fools tell people it is in order to scare them. Yes it will burn you, I have the scars to prove that. But I have worked with lithium for 30 years and other than being irritated by it I have never had a problem. Although I knew some old guys who blew a bathroom up by smoking while washing up for lunch,, lol.

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

You asked too many questions just pay your taxi stand in line shut up and continue to vote blue and you will be happy

[@bourbontrail565]

@myoung48281 climate change is government mandates. My Military, My Jetliners and All my food has and will be powered by fossil fuels. Smoke some green, Peace.

[@derrickjenkins2455]

With incidents like this as well as the poor response from government agencies.....its a miracle thus country is able to function at all!!

[@TwisterWizzleNineThousand]

I guess if this happened in 1971, Hunter Thompson would've missed the Mint 400, been stuck in his "stinking desert crossroad called Baker," and never made it to Vegas, thus retitling his story "Fear and Loathing on the I-15".

[@golfberg1]

😂

[@abrahamelliott9806]

👍👍

[@shauny2285]

Gotta love those Li-ion batteries. A gift that keeps on giving. 😅

[@edmanetka9972]

All I got from chp as truck driver was banging my door like crazy while sleeping in rest area not between lines because there was no room overnight. Wasn’t blocking anyone and anything. He just needed to show his useless power

[@vjc812]

Imagine everyone has to have an EV and you have an accident or a major accident and batteries go up like this. This will be a common occurrence. We don’t need this.

[@carolyncollins3112]

😮 not good. Prayers for everyone.

[@mittiejackson3427]

They been praying out but like Everytime it doesn't do anything but give you sore knees. Save the breath.

[@denniswaterman3982]

How many EV's ran out of charge?

[@douglasbrown4775]

untill the lithium burns up 4/7 days it can not be put out like thermite

[@DraggonCanoe]

WRONG

[@jul1440]

That is because Li2O can release its own oxygen. They would still burn in the Challenger Deep or even in space!

[@DraggonCanoe]

@@jul1440 It has no oxygen. It is Lithium,,, just Lithium. It releases nothing. Add water and it separates the oxygen from the hydrogen, thus creating a hydrogen bomb, or the next Hindenburg. But in a dry room or a glove box it is perfectly safe, because there is no moisture. By the way ,I know the man who invented the rapid moisture monitor just for this reason!!

[@salt6]

Imagine people not turning around and heading back. Imagine police not turning people around and heading them back.

[@paulmryglod4802]

So cali is willing to force people to use battery powered everything and have set up zero contingency for highway battery issues. Typical

[@genegeneish]

Pete Bootygag is cleaning up the mess on the Hershey highway.

[@vitaliyt2103]

He is cleaning some ones ass right now

[@entropybentwhistle]

⁠Turnarounds and median crossings should be mandatory every few miles for exactly this kind of issue. The myopia is astonishing. Literally this exact situation happened to me in Canada last week, where a burning rig was going to hold up traffic for up to 8 hours. Highway department workers and RCMP gave people the option of waiting it out, or turning around at the median crossing and taking a 3 hour detour. I did the latter. Where there is no detour at least one can go home or hole up in the last town with services.

[@cadilacdesert]

I remember life without the phone. You were always on your own. Wild how we have become so attached

[@BallardBaller]

Best comment!

[@roadmonitoroz]

Same. I remember running to get the rotary phone when it rung. Now, people ignore their cell phone or you have some guy with an accent telling you about a Corolla on the south border of Texas or an Amazon purchase you didn't make.

[@danielramsey6141]

While true. I have to admit, for these moments. A Cellphone can be a Godsend considering how Boring it can be to wait that Long in a Traffic jam!

[@Rocanala]

Running out of gas in the desert, you need a phone to call for help.

[@jerradwilson]

I remember there were payphones on every city block and callboxes on the freeways. We weren't totally disconnected.

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

The secondary lesson in this story is that people have become overly reliant on their cell phones, believing they'll be able to connect to emergency services anywhere. There's also good reason to force car manufacturers to continue to install AM radio receivers in cars, even though they might not be able to receive much in the middle of the Mojave Desert during daylight. If people can't call for help, AM radio can still be used to provide advisories to travelers where all other forms of communication break down.

[@davidwallwork1177]

It's a multi lane road. Why can't they devote one lane for people to turn around and leave the jam?

[@davidwhite5438]

Geee, how effing hard can this be. Close on lane of the south bound traffic. Use a dozer to cut a 300 foot dirt road from north bound to south bound. Allow north bound traffic to use on of the southbound lanes for a couple miles, where another temporary cut rood directs traffic back of to north bound.

[@abc123lov7]

Those batteries are emitting chlorine gas. It's fatal if you inhale it. There is a reason why you are not in charge.

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

That is why you will never ever be hired by Caltrans or even interviewed

[@dronetestdaegan]

Its not. And its the exact reason WHY it has not happened. Because those "in charge" can't think outside the box.

[@LuciFeric137]

Complete nonsense. The trailer was already off the highway. In the middle of the desert. They said it was "too heavy" to move. They couldve dumped sand on it to extinguish the fire. Instead they shut down 2 states.

[@sonnythach7661]

Come on man, California make small things to a big deal. This tell you a lot about transportation leadership.

[@HJW018]

So no one out on that scene has heard of contraflow? Shut down a lane of the southbound for northbound traffic to go north and let the people cross the median and pass the wreck. It's not hard to do.

[@benjaminleo7011]

Never in my mind would i think the united state didnt know how to handle something this trivial 😂

[@camabis-uw2lm]

And who made it law to no longer sell gas cars so we will soon see these type of battery all over the state of California? Sounds like a recipe for a future state of calamity.

[@ZeroSpawn]

That happened to me a few years ago. I started a line of cars going in reverse on the shoulder. We got off on the previous exit and found different routes. Staying on the freeway is just stupid.

[@XerxezsX]

They couldn't move some cheap batteries? The incompetence, they have unlimited power, tax payer money, resources, man power,😮

[@1949MC]

Our illustrious president is sending it to the taliban, Ukraine ND giving prepaid credit cards to 30 million illegals including terrorists.

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

It was the weekend anyone with any brains took off and turned off the cell phones the skeleton crew cannot handle anything except for an easy weekend paycheck Caltrans is a financial fiasco and its money is being diverted to the gravel gruesome crime family campaign

[@thaimassage23]

But ONE main thing is missing,NO BRAINS!

[@cesarsalgadosalgado2199]

Lithium batteries dont ignite again if you poor sand these workers should be fired. I know this because i have seen a lithium battery explote in flames and the only way to shut off the fire is by keep pouring sand not water and the sand is like a neutralizer

[@Polyphemus47]

Maybe we should invest in baking soda futures.

[@JamesMcGillis]

All movement of large-scale battery containers should have pilot cars, front and rear. With two vehicles to help clear the way, traffic collisions with battery transport vehicles could be reduced.

[@benkok02]

Doesn’t help. Lol I had a load of Tesla batteries going up in smoke while driving. No popping noise no warning at all. Just lucky I needed fuel and touched the side of trailer what was hot to touch. Batteries need to be loaded with a wooden separate divider

[@honesteagle98]

Jeep: where we’re going, we don’t need roads

[@keytothegate68]

Looks like a test

[@mikerilling6515]

Of course we’re being probed by the enemy to see how much we will accept

[@hawkeye9793]

​@@mikerilling6515Sadly, I agree. What dark times...

[@niknak410]

What incompetence 😮

[@HML5568]

That lithium battery future is working out wonderfully! 😂

[@OnWisconsin33]

Your cell phone has one.

[@JamesStrowd]

Just in: Newsom orders those stuck in traffic to pay a daily rent fee for space occupied.

[@JackGlick]

Getting broke before even getting to Vegas, lol!

[@brianmarshall636]

Petey Buttplug is monitoring the situation that should be a huge relief to everybody stuck in that traffic jam

[@Polyphemus47]

Petey Buttplug is fully aware of the possible downsides to E.Vs. Most traffic jams are caused by gas-powered autos. Should we ban them? Lets promote the horse and carriage idea.

[@JK-mf1po]

Cars do turn around! 😂 or why can’t authorities bring them water atleast! What a situation to be in! 😮

[@locolalo1364]

Watch the report before commenting you brain dead mongrel

[@sadayukinaga9363]

This is the same state employed assholes to do traffic break over a pillow in the middle of the road and then pull someone over for taking the exit to avoid that bullshit

[@Hwkgrl16]

I was wondering if the Vegas DOT can officially reverse traffic like they do when evacuating for hurricanes.

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

They are going to Las Vegas to waste their money and to cavort in Lust of money/gambling. Or the the gluttony of food

[@sandrasutton7638]

And you want us to buy one of those vehicles with 1 of those batteries in it?Are you out of your mind

[@RedBaronlives]

Infrastructure money for our country, not Europe.!

[@KevinSmith-qi5yn]

But the Oligarch's wife needs a Bugatti, and their children need to party.

[@ShiddyFinkelstein]

EVs are a disaster. Imagine depending on A/C near Baker in an electric car. What a joke. What a disaster for the environment and the economy.

[@princeadam5705]

The Army should move quickly and help people.

[@allergictostupidpeople7893]

The NAVY DIDNT HELP THE PEOPLE OF MAUI

[@gailcarey3597]

That would require the governor to be doing his job

[@paulconvery680]

Bootyjudge is monitoring the situation.

[@OneshotMovement]

Just imagine that

[@IlPinnacolo]

The Army's job is to serve Israel, not the US.

[@davidmichael4002]

A perfect California story.

[@Klnmai]

Why can’t they try to drag it out further into the desert away from the road, so people can continue on. Ridiculous to just keep it close like that in the middle of no where or find a good spot to direct traffic to the oncoming lane instead.

[@DraggonCanoe]

That wouldn't fit the liberal, government is your god, mentality that is California! Get on the Harris bandwagon and quit making sense!

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

Because that would make too much doggone common sense we need to make this mountain out of a mole hill so we can go on your federal funds from this at the state level that’s the usual operating procedure of Caltrans

[@farmerted487]

The true cost of 'green' energy...

[@oldguy2764]

If Pete Bootyjuice is on the case, it ain't gonna get fixed.😂😂😂😂😂

[@OnWisconsin33]

What does he have to do with industrial batteries?

[@StoneShards]

Total BS! "Out of an abundance of caution" they have to look like incompetent fools! Tell ya what ya do: drag that dangerous box out into the desert away from the road so people can drive! WTH is wrong with you people!

[@radiwolf]

31 Years I live in Las Vegas..It should be at least 3 lines 20 years ago!!! Nightmare!!😢

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

Money has been diverted to the Democratic national party for decades

[@ouivalerie]

Road turn around areas don't seem to exist either. Just need a dirt road every few miles.

[@youdagoob]

Way to “monitor” the situation Buttisgeig. Very helpful.