A deadly wrong-way crash on California’s 405 Freeway early Tuesday left one person dead and a vehicle torn apart in a fiery wreck.
The collision, which involved a total of three vehicles, forced a roughly four-hour shutdown of the busy freeway near Hawthorne.
Calls to 911 came in shortly before 1 a.m., with witnesses reporting a black sedan traveling south in the northbound HOV lane. Early reports initially indicated as many as five vehicles were involved, but that number was later revised to three, according to the California Highway Patrol incident log.
One vehicle caught fire after the crash, while two others appeared to have sustained damage. A SigAlert issued around 1:03 a.m. closed the freeway and sent drivers off at Inglewood Avenue. The alert remained in effect until 5:12 a.m.
At the scene, firefighters were seen searching through the mangled remains of the vehicle, while coroner’s officials responded to investigate the fatality.
A good Samaritan identified as Jose told Fox 11 that two people were inside the badly damaged vehicle, a woman and a man. He said the woman died at the scene, while the man was taken to a hospital.
“I pulled over, I seen the car on fire and I put it out. Then I seen a person in there, we checked their pulse, and dead on impact,” he said. “Then we seen another guy in there, which is I believe her brother, and he got out.”
Authorities have not yet identified the person who died. ABC 7 reported that one other person was transported to the hospital in unknown condition.
It’s also unclear why the wrecked black sedan was traveling the wrong way on the freeway.
Caltrans and the Los Angeles Police Department were also called to the incident by CHP for assistance.
The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It appeared to minimally impact commuters’ morning drive.
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