A series of two crashes involving four cars on the 710 freeway Sunday morning left two people dead and all lanes in both directions shut down for more than three hours, the California Highway Patrol said.
It appeared that both victims–a 29 year-old Carson woman and a 22 year-old Long Beach man–were killed while inspecting damage from a previous crash and that they died in a massive chain-reaction accident that began when a car that had slowed near the wreck was rear-ended by another vehicle.
The entire incident began at around 3AM Sunday when a 2003 Lincoln Aviator driven by the woman and a 1996 Honda Civic being driven by the man crashed on the 710 southbound near the 405 interchange. According to the CHP, both drivers as well as the woman’s 17 year-old passenger were inspecting their vehicles in the emergency lane against the center divider when a 1999 Honda Civic that was driving past the scene was rear ended by a Chrysler Town and Country. That impact caused the passing Civic to hit the crashed Civic, spinning it around as it struck the center divider and the three people standing on the freeway.
The man and woman were killed at the scene and the 17 year-old, a resident of Long Beach, suffered major injuries. The driver of the 1999 Honda, a resident of Bellflower, suffered minor injuries. The driver of the Chrysler Town and Country, a 70-year-old South Gate man, suffered no injuries.
Lanes in both directions of the 710 were closed for three hours, according to the Long Beach Police Department. No charges against any of the surviving drivers are pending.
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