Traffic came to an abrupt halt as a Ford Mustang and city trash truck collided in the intersection of Nordhoff Street and Reseda Boulevard, both vehicles attempting a left to southbound Reseda.

The mid-afternoon collision attracted a lot of attention and congestion to the busy intersection as buses and cars curiously, but carefully, maneuvered around the two vehicles and police cars in the middle of the intersection.

“I heard a loud noise,” said Tom Mariner, a bystander.

The lug nuts on the trash truck hit the car as they were turning, Mariner said. The intersection of Nordhoff and Reseda is controlled by a tri-light system with two left turn lanes and both vehicles were approaching their turns on the left turn arrow.

“He hit me in the middle of the turn,” said Roberto Flores, driver of the Ford. Flores’ parents were in the vehicle, his mother suffers from a heart condition, and she was shaken up but otherwise fine. Flores, walking with a limp, said that his condition was from a prior injury and not related to the accident. There were no other vehicles involved in the accident.

The fire department was dispatched to the scene were no injuries reported.

“Maybe he needs more training driving that truck,” said Flores.

Flores was traveling in the outer left of the two left turn lanes. The driver side is on the right not the left and he did not control the truck through the turn, added Flores.

The entire passenger side panel of the Ford was damaged and Flores, who works at a naval base in San Diego, said he hopes the insurance does not total his car.

There was metal protruding out from the left lower side of the trash truck with signs of impact to the lug nuts.

There appeared to be two insurance investigators taking the statement of the truck driver at the scene and the obviously nervous driver said he could not comment because, “I could get in trouble.”

“We had two vehicles making a left southbound on Reseda and they collided,” said Officer Umana with Valley Traffic.

The investigation is not complete and no fault has been attributed yet, said Umana.

The vehicles were cleared from the intersection just in time for the afternoon rush hour.