The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances surrounding a fiery crash on the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills that left two Woodland Hills men dead early Tuesday. “We saw the husbands came running up to us, told us their families were in the vehicle still”, Officer Dan Williams said. They have been identified only as a 33-year-old San Francisco woman, a Daly City woman, two San Francisco children and two Daly City children. The minivan was then rear-ended by a semi-truck, pushed into a ravine and caught fire.
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Around 3:30 a.m., a 2016 Toyota Sienna minivan carrying eight people was traveling on southbound Highway 5, just south of Gorman School Road near the unincorporated community of Gormon in Los Angeles County, CHP officials said.
The impact in the back also is likely the reason the men were able to escape from the front, he said. Li an Ng managed to slide open the door on the passenger’s side, but Romero said that by that time, “the flames were already overtaking the vehicle”. “Like I said, the van went up in flames very, very quickly”. Ultimately, the officers had to hold back the men, each a father of two. “It was horrific seeing them trying to get their families out”.
“Words can’t describe it”, Williams said. He added, “That’s all we could do”. He said, “You pull up and see the victims inside – it’s heartbreaking”, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Their husbands were transported to a hospital for treatment of burn injuries to their arms. On Tuesday evening, they were both listed in serious condition. Their wives and both their two children were killed. The women and four children were killed. Law enforcement officials believe the two families were likely traveling together in the rented minivan, trying to enjoy a summer vacation.
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The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
