ANAHEIM : Driver Dies, 2 Workers Hurt in Freeway Crash

A motorist was killed early Tuesday when his car struck a work truck used in a repair project on the Riverside Freeway, officials said.

Two workers in the truck, who are employed by a private contractor, were injured and taken to local hospitals.

The workers were removing traffic cones to reopen three eastbound lanes of the freeway near Harbor Boulevard about 5 a.m. when the motorist drove over a line of cones and crashed into their truck, Caltrans spokesman Albert Miranda said. The motorist, Hiroshi Sakai, 24, of Anaheim, also struck an attached trailer holding a lighted arrow meant to divert traffic, Miranda said.

The injured workers are employed by a subcontractor handling lane closures on Caltrans projects.

Ramon Tristen, 18, of Winton, a Northern California city, was listed in fair condition in the intensive-care unit at Anaheim Memorial Hospital. John Bodmer, 37, of San Leandro suffered leg fractures and was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was in critical but stable condition.

Authorities said they do not know why the accident occurred. Another motorist reported that traffic was going about 55 m.p.h. at the time, and excessive speed was not considered a factor in the crash, said Officer Joan Rivas, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol.

Rush-hour traffic was snarled for three hours after officials closed all eastbound lanes at the scene of the crash and diverted motorists to Harbor Boulevard.

The workers were finishing up a night’s work on a freeway sealing project, Miranda said. They had reopened two lanes, but the fast lane remained closed by a line of cones, he said. The arrow sign towed by the truck was still lighted when it was struck.

Minutes after the crash, a second motorist struck debris and crashed into the center divider before the CHP was able to close the freeway. Rivas said the second driver was not injured.