Two Men Suffer Severe Burns, Woman Also Injured in Rush-Hour Collision

BREA — Two men were in critical condition Saturday in the burn unit of UCI Medical Center in Orange after their Chevrolet pickup truck exploded in flames during a rush-hour collision Friday evening in Brea.

Police said the driver, Rocco Costello, 28, of La Mirada and passenger Craig Gauthier, 28, of Whittier were both severely burned.

The truck was engulfed in flames when police and rescue workers arrived at the scene of the accident on Imperial Highway just east of Valencia Avenue. Gauthier apparently managed to crawl out a window of the truck and Costello was pulled from the burning wreckage by passers-by, a fire official said.

According to the police account, Janet Askew, 29, of Placentia was driving a Mustang east on Imperial Highway when she lost control of her car, jumped the median and collided with the pickup truck and two other cars. Askew was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana where she was in stable condition Saturday. Police are still investigating the accident. No one has been charged.