Man Killed in Crash on Riverside Freeway

A 54-year-old Buena Park man was killed and set off a four-vehicle crash Monday morning when he slammed into the rear of a disabled semi tractor-trailer parked along the Riverside Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The man, who was not identified pending notification of his next of kin, was driving a 1987 Toyota utility truck on the Orangethorpe Avenue entrance ramp to the eastbound freeway when he hit the parked big rig about 6:30 a.m., CHP Officer Denise Medina said.

“There were no visibility problems at the time, that we know of, but I do know that the sun can be really bright at that time of day,” Medina said. “We don’t know if that was a factor.”

Two other vehicles entering the freeway right behind the Toyota truck were also involved in the crash. A Mercury Cougar clipped the rear of the Toyota and then veered into the middle lanes of the freeway, Medina said. Then a 1990 Chevy pickup, perhaps trying to miss the other cars, rear-ended the disabled big rig. The driver and a passenger in the Cougar suffered minor injuries.

Several lanes of the freeway were closed for 1 1/2 hours, Medina said. The accident remains under investigation, she said.