Four Killed in Horrific Wrong-Way Car Crash on California Freeway
CHINO HILLS (March 20, 2023) – Four people were killed in a fiery crash on a Southern California freeway early Sunday morning, which authorities believe was likely caused by a wrong-way driver.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the car accident was reported just before 3 a.m. on the southbound 71 Freeway near Central Avenue in Chino Hills, near Chino Hills Parkway, around 35 miles east of Los Angeles, in southwest San Bernardino County. Four people died at the scene, according to California Highway Patrol.
California Highway Patrol officials told NBC that the crash involved three vehicles and said it was caused by an unidentified driver operating a white 2021 Volvo S60 going northbound on the southbound 71 Freeway lanes at an unknown speed. The white Volvo was also occupied by an unnamed passenger as well.
Authorities say that the white Volvo collided head-on with a black 2018 Volvo S90 driving southbound, driven by a man with a female passenger inside. As a result of the collision, witnesses reported that both vehicles spun out and made contact with other nearby cars. In total, at least four vehicles were involved in the crash.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one vehicle engulfed in flames.
Wrong-Way Driver Among Four Dead in Chino Hills Accident
The occupants of both Volvos died in the accident, according to KTLA. One person involved in the accident was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.
Authorities still don’t know why the white Volvo drove the wrong way or if drugs or alcohol played a role in the early morning crash. The freeway was shut down between Grand Avenue and Chino Hills Parkway for several hours while police investigated the fatal accident.
A California Highway Patrol spokesperson told KTLA that moments before the collision, several people called 911 to report a driver traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of the 71 Freeway.
A police sergeant who was one of the first responders to the scene tried to rescue the occupants trapped inside the white Volvo but was forced to back away because of the intense flames.
