3 Dead, 2 CHP Officers Injured In Horrific I-5 Crash Near Lodi
LODI (CBS SF) -- Three people were killed and two California Highway Patrol officers seriously injured in an early morning crash on Interstate Highway 5 near Lodi, authorities said Tuesday.
The California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred at approximately 2:30 a.m. on southbound I-5 south of Walnut Grove Rd.
Two CHP officers were assisting the driver of a disabled tractor trailer on the freeway when for unknown reasons a driver lost control of a passing 2021 Subaru SUV that veered toward them.
The vehicle collided with the rear of the CHP patrol vehicle, sending it a dirt embankment. The Subaru then collided with a tree and became fully engulfed in flames.
The force of the impact completely ripped apart the CHP vehicle.
All three occupants in the vehicle succumbed to their injuries on scene. The two CHP officers were transported to a nearby hospital with major injuries. Their conditions were not immediately known.
It was unknown whether drugs and/or alcohol were a factor in this collision.
