Chain Reaction Crash Injures 5, Including 2 CHP Officers, In La Puente
LA PUENTE (CBSLA) — A suspected drunk driver is in custody after a chain reaction crash that hurt five people, including two California Highway Patrol officers, and shut down the eastbound 60 Freeway for hours early Tuesday.
The officers had spotted a car that had stopped on the side of the eastbound lanes near the 605 Freeway at about 2:50 a.m. and stopped to help the driver. Both officers, the CHP squad car and the driver were all struck by another car going east on the freeway.
That car spun out of control and stopped in middle lanes, where it was hit by a fourth car.
The eastbound lanes of the 60 Freeway were shut down for hours for the investigation and clean-up. The lanes reopened by 5:30 a.m.
All three collisions are under investigation. One of the drivers, 23-year-old Adrian Estrada of El Monte, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
Everyone involved in the crashes were hospitalized, but the officers have since been treated and released from County-USC Medical Center. The most severely injured person was a passenger in Estrada's car.