SUV Driver Killed In Sherman Oaks Freeway Crash

SHERMAN OAKS, CA — A man was killed early Monday morning when his SUV rear-ended a box truck and caught fire on the 101 freeway, according California Highway Patrol. The crash was reported at 1:50 a.m. on the eastbound 101 freeway near Van Nuys Boulevard.

Officers discovered the Freightliner stopped on the freeway with the SUV partially underneath it, which caught fire as the officer approached.

CHP said the officer extinguished the flames with a fire extinguisher. The driver, a 30 to 40-year-old man, died at the scene.

According to Fox11, the truck driver said he had stopped in the No. 4 lane with mechanical issues before the crash happened. The truck driver, 29-year-old Michael Snee, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and held on $15,000 bail.

The eastbound 101 was temporarily closed while crews investigated, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

"A DUI investigation was conducted on Michael Snee and he was placed under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs," the CHP reported. "The sequence of events in the collision are still under investigation."

According to Fox11, the truck driver said he had stopped in the No. 4 lane with mechanical issues before the crash happened.

The name of the victim was withheld until relatives could be notified. Anyone with information on the crash was urged to call the CHP West Valley Area office at 818-888-0980.

City News Service contributed to this report.