405 Crash Kills Driver of Van, Road Worker

A Mission Viejo man plowed through a marked Caltrans work area early this morning, slamming his van into a highway maintenance truck, killing himself and a freeway worker on the southbound 405 Freeway in Irvine, authorities said.

The driver, Eularlio Castillo, 38, and Kevin Smith, 25, of Lancaster, who was employed by a company on contract with Caltrans, were pronounced dead at the scene, said California Highway Patrol Officer Angel Johnson. A second worker, Robert Ornales, 25, of La Puente, was also injured in the crash. He is in fair condition with back injuries at a Mission Viejo hospital.

The incident occurred at 12:10 a.m. as Smith and a crew were repainting white stripes and replacing reflective lane markers on the southbound San Diego Freeway near Irvine Center Drive.

At speeds in excess of 80 m.p.h., Castillo apparently drove through a barrier of cones onto the closed portion of the freeway, slamming into the back of a flatbed truck carrying Smith and one other worker, Johnson said.