101 Freeway crash: Wrong-way driver killed, others injured

One person died and several people were injured in a multi-vehicle crash in southbound lanes of the 101 Freeway at Santa Monica Boulevard early Monday morning. The crash was reportedly caused by a wrong-way driver.

The crash occurred at about 4 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. At least three vehicles were involved, two of which were engulfed in flames.

The wrong-way driver was in a Toyota Prius and was killed, according to the CHP. Reports indicate the driver may have entered the southbound freeway at Alvarado Street, several miles south of the collision.

"The first impact was a sideswipe. The driver of that Honda was able to somewhat veer out of the way, obviously not completely, because then the vehicle was struck," said CHP Officer Roberto Gomez. "And then after that the Prius then struck a pickup truck. And that's where it was the head-on major collision."    

A Sigalert was issued and southbound lanes were closed at Melrose Avenue during the investigation and cleanup. Northbound lanes were also affected by debris in the roadway.

One lane was re-opened at about 5:15 a.m. Other lanes were expected to remain closed for several more hours during the investigation. All southbound lanes were re-opened by 8:15 a.m.

A nearby resident heard the crash and recorded the aftermath with a drone-mounted camera.

"This one was really, really super-loud," said Daniel Mason, the drone operator. "I mean, it was over my air conditioning and my server that I run in my house, so I mean, it was really substantially loud for me to get my attention. Actually, pretty much sure that the building shook." 

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