WEST COVINA : Man, 2 Women Die in Fiery Collision on Freeway

Three people died Tuesday morning in a fiery freeway collision in West Covina after the car they were riding in swerved to avoid a crippled vehicle and was struck from the rear by a speeding truck, authorities said.

The badly charred victims were identified by the coroner’s office only as a man and two women. Earl Davis Jr., 41, of Rialto, was booked for investigation of felony drunk driving, and Billy Gene Peek, 31, also of Rialto, was cited for speeding, CHP Officer Joe Flores said.

The accident occurred at 1:57 a.m. on the San Bernardino Freeway near Azusa Avenue as Davis crept along in the far right westbound lane in a 1979 Toyota Celica with two flat tires, Flores said. The victims, in a 1978 Ford Granada, tried to pass on the left and were rear-ended by a 1987 Chevrolet utility truck driven by Peek, engulfing the Ford in flames, Flores said.