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COURTESY: LISA HUANG
Tow trucks try to remove a garbage truck that ended up on the median of the H-1 Freeway near the Kaohohi Street overpass.
Honolulu police reopened all lanes of the H-1 Freeway in Aiea after an empty garbage truck crashed into the Zipper Lane median near the Kaonohi Overpass, backing up traffic for thousands of commuters trying to get home on Halloween.
The crash happened at about 1:30 p.m. and police closed two Ewa-bound and three Honolulu-bound freeway lanes as tow trucks worked for hours to remove the truck.
After the truck was taken away, other crews had to make a temporary fix to three Zipper Lane barriers, which took several more hours, a state transportation official said.
The Ewa-bound lanes reopened at about 7 p.m. and police reopened the Honolulu-bound freeway lanes at about 7:45 p.m.
Paramedics took a man in his 30s to a local hospital in serious condition after the crash.
The lane closures backed up traffic all over the island as commuters tried to get around the crash scene.
Caroline Sluyter, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman, said the morning Zipper Lane will be open during regular hours Thursday.
