Woman Killed Trying to Cross Freeway Was From Canoga Park

A woman killed trying to cross the 118 Freeway east of Tampa Avenue was identified Friday.

After her car had a flat in the westbound carpool lane, Teri Lynn Wooles, 30, of Canoga Park, ran across five lanes of traffic to a call box on the freeway shoulder.

A California Highway Patrol operator told her not to return to her Honda Prelude, but Wooles said she was cold and started back across the freeway, CHP officials said.

She was hit by several vehicles and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. The driver of the first vehicle to hit her stopped and called for help. The driver was interviewed and released, CHP officials said.

The cause of death has not been established. An autopsy is scheduled for this weekend, said coroner’s spokesman Scott Carrier.

California Highway Patrol officials say motorists should never attempt to cross traffic to get to their vehicles or a call box.

“You can’t outrun a car doing between 60 and 70 mph,” CHP Officer Karen Faciane said. “A lot of people don’t understand how fast these cars are going.”

Faciane said drivers should “try to get to the right shoulder, put your four-way flashers on, turn the wheels to the right, move into the passenger’s seat, put your seat belt on, lock the doors and the Highway Patrol should be minutes away.”

The driver should also put on the parking brake, she said.

If the car stalls near the center divider or in a carpool lane, Faciane said, the driver should do the same except get over to the left as far as possible and turn the wheels to the left.