OAKLAND — Three eastbound lanes of Interstate 580 near Seminary Avenue in East Oakland were closed for more than five hours Monday morning after a stolen RV camper being pursued by its owner overturned and blocked the lanes, the California Highway Patrol said.
The person who stole the camper and was towing it with another vehicle was able to flee, the CHP said.
CHP Officer Kris Borer said once the owner of the 32-foot RV camper realized it had been stolen he was able to find it being towed by either a truck or SUV on eastbound I-580. It was not immediately known where the theft occurred.
When the RV owner tried to stop the thief about 5:08 a.m., the RV got loose from the vehicle the thief was driving, causing it to overturn east of Seminary Avenue and leaving debris spread across all lanes.
Borer said the thief kept driving their vehicle with the RV owner still in pursuit. But he lost him near 98th Avenue and returned to the scene.
Meanwhile, another vehicle that swerved to avoid the wreckage ended up down an embankment, injuring the driver who was taken to a hospital, Borer said.
A Sig-alert was issued after the wreck to allow for roadway clean-up and for the CHP to investigate.
One lane was reopened by 6:48 a.m., while the rest were reopened at 10:10 a.m. The wreck caused eastbound traffic on the freeway to back up for miles.
The CHP is asking anyone with information about the theft or wreck to call its Oakland office at 510-450-3821.