Wrong-Way Crash Kills 2 On 5 Freeway In Santa Ana
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Two people were killed Thursday in a wrong-way crash in the carpool lane of the 5 Freeway in Santa Ana.
The crash was reported just before 4 a.m. on the northbound lanes at the 57/22 Freeway connector, according to the California Highway Patrol. A 2002 Jaguar was reported going southbound in the northbound carpool lanes and crashed head on into a 2017 Kawasaki motorcycle.
The male motorcycle rider was thrown, and both vehicles immediately burst into flames. The driver was burned beyond recognition, CHP Officer Florentino Olivera said.
The motorcyclist, who was also killed on impact despite wearing all of the required safety gear, was a 36-year-old Santa Ana man. His name was not immediately released.
"The carpool lane is divided from the general lanes, so that motorcycle had nowhere to go when he saw that vehicle coming towards him," Olivera said.
All northbound lanes were closed for hours due to wreckage strewn across the freeway. All lanes except the carpool reopened at about 8 a.m.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)