Newhall, CA, November 5 – A two-vehicle crash near the State Route 14 and Interstate 5 split left one driver hospitalized with major injuries, the California Highway Patrol reported. The crash happened on Wednesday morning and shut down multiple southbound lanes for close to two hours while crews responded and cleared the scene. No other injuries were reported, and the CHP said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Newhall Crash at SR 14 and I-5 Split Leaves One Hospitalized
According to the California Highway Patrol, preliminary reports indicate a Chevrolet Silverado was traveling in the southbound lanes of SR 14 at about 9 a.m. on November 4 when it drifted across lanes and went down an embankment near the interchange with I-5. The Silverado then collided with a Nissan 2500 that was traveling on I-5.
The driver of the Nissan was taken to a hospital for treatment of major injuries, the CHP reported. No other injuries were reported in connection with the crash. At least three southbound lanes were closed for nearly two hours as authorities investigated the collision and cleared the scene before traffic resumed.
The California Highway Patrol said its investigation into the crash remains open. Officers have not yet said what caused the Silverado to leave its lane and go down the embankment before striking the Nissan, and no citations or determinations of fault have been announced as of this report. The agency has not provided a timeline for when the investigation might conclude.
Several details about the crash have not been released. The CHP has not disclosed the ages of either driver, the extent of the Nissan driver’s injuries beyond the description of major injuries, or whether the Silverado’s driver was hurt. It also remains unclear whether any additional vehicles or factors were involved beyond the two vehicles identified in the initial report.
What the at-fault driver is required to carry, and why it often is not enough
Vehicle Code section 16056 sets California’s minimum liability limits, and they changed recently. For a policy issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, the minimum is $30,000 for injury to or death of one person, $60,000 where two or more people are hurt, and $15,000 for property damage. Policies written before that date may still carry the older minimum of $15,000, $30,000 and $5,000.
Those are floors, not typical limits, and a single hospital admission can exhaust the lower figure before any other loss is counted. Where the at-fault driver carries the minimum, the uninsured and underinsured motorist cover on the injured person’s own policy is often the part that matters most, and it is worth checking early rather than after the other insurer has made an offer.
The deadline that applies to a claim like this one
Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives two years for an action for injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another. The same two years covers an injury claim and a death claim; there is no separate, shorter period because someone died.
Talking to someone about it
Culver Legal represents people injured in collisions across California. A conversation about what happened costs nothing, and we work on a contingency fee, which means there is no fee unless we win. If we do not win, we do not pass the case costs on to you either.
Nothing on this page is legal advice about any particular case, and the facts of a reported collision often change as the investigation continues.
