Local News in Brief : San Clemente : Van Driver Killed in Chain-Reaction Crash
A San Clemente man was killed Monday when his van plowed into the rear of a flat-bed truck in a chain-reaction accident on Interstate 5, the California Highway Patrol said.
The name of the 41-year-old victim was not released pending notification of relatives.
The accident happened about 9:30 a.m. when a car driven by a 55-year-old Irvine woman stalled on the freeway, forcing the flat-bed truck behind her to stop suddenly. The driver of the van was unable to stop and crashed into the truck, authorities said.
The van then veered into another lane, striking a truck driven by John Spollino, 65, of Anaheim. Spollino, who was not wearing a seat belt, went through the windshield of his truck, a CHP spokesman said. He was in serious condition at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo.
The driver of the flat-bed truck, identified as Richard Earl McNelly, 40, of Santee, suffered minor injuries and was treated at San Clemente General Hospital, the spokesman said.
The woman whose stalled car sparked the chain reaction was not injured.
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