1 Killed, Traffic Stalled by Collision at El Toro Y
A Santa Ana man was killed and traffic was blocked for three hours near the El Toro Y on Wednesday morning when a car skidded into a stake-bed truck and trailer parked on the freeway.
Salvador H. Hernandez, 29, was one of three men riding in the truck headed south on Interstate 5 about 6:30 a.m. The men began having trouble with their trailer and stopped on the freeway to investigate, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Keith Thornhill.
The men stood behind the truck and trailer while traffic swerved around them, until a driver in a Honda Accord couldn’t stop in time and skidded into them, Thornhill said. Another car then hit the Honda, but that driver fled the scene, he said.
Hernandez died at the scene. The Honda driver and the two men with Hernandez sustained minor and moderate injuries and were taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo.
Thornhill said anyone with vehicle trouble should exit the freeway, or at least pull to the right shoulder. And drivers should even treat that as a dangerous situation, staying in the car if possible.
Thornhill asked that anyone with information about the crash or the driver who left the scene call the Highway Patrol at (714) 567-6000.
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