L. A. Man Dies After Hitting Disabled Car

A disabled vehicle led to a four-car collision early Thursday on the Ventura Freeway that killed a 48-year-old Los Angeles man and injured two others, California Highway Patrol officials said.

Jerry Gallagher was pronounced dead at the scene after he struck a red 1988 Mazda that had been involved in another accident minutes before, CHP Officer Ray Abramian said. The crash occurred about 3:10 a.m. on the eastbound freeway near the Reseda Boulevard offramp in Tarzana.

The driver of the disabled car, 22-year-old Henry Espana of Agoura Hills, ran across the freeway to call for help after he struck the center divider, according to witnesses.

Police believe that Gallagher didn’t see Espana’s car because it was dark and the vehicle’s hazard lights weren’t flashing. Gallagher, who was driving a 1980 Datsun, hit the other car, sending both vehicles spinning out of control, Abramian said.

Two drivers behind Gallagher couldn’t avoid the pileup, he said, and collided with the other vehicles.

Both of those drivers received minor injuries and one was taken to Encino-Tarzana Medical Center complaining of a sharp pain to his hand, authorities said.

Officers are investigating the accident. Abramian said stranded motorists who are involved in an accident should use caution when seeking assistance.

“The first priority is your own safety,” Abramian said. “Luckily, this happened when there wasn’t a lot of traffic, so he was able to run across the freeway. The best thing to do is flip on your hazard lights and get to a call box as soon as possible.”

The accident caused the closure of all eastbound lanes until 6 a.m. when one lane was opened. All of the lanes were reopened shortly after 7 a.m.