Car Stopped on Freeway Is Hit, Man Dies

The driver of a car that was stopped on the San Diego Freeway was killed when another car slammed into it from behind early Sunday, the California Highway Patrol said.

The victim, who the CHP described as a man in his 40s, stopped his car in the far right lane north of the Redondo Beach Boulevard exit for an unknown reason and was sitting in his car with the lights off, the CHP said.

A Toyota MR2 traveling at approximately 55 m.p.h. plowed into the stopped vehicle, Officer Jim Wills said.

The first car exploded upon impact, he said.

When fire crews arrived the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Craig Leinin said.

“There was no need to summon medical help for the victim,” Leinin said.

The victim’s name was being withheld until his family is notified.

The driver of the MR2, Roni Hemsley, 21, Glendora, and her passengers, Rosa Perdomo, 30, Los Angeles, and Glen Saputra, 30, Torrance, were taken to Robert F. Kennedy Medical Center, where they were treated for cuts and bruises and released, officials said.

The CHP was still trying to determine late Sunday why the victim stopped his car on the freeway.