Two people were killed on Friday evening after being struck by a car swerving into the center median of Interstate 80 near Hercules, where a flat tire led to a chain-reaction accident on the westbound highway’s fast lane.
A 35-year-old San Leandro woman and a man died in the horrific crash, which involved several cars forced to come to abrupt stop behind a disabled Honda Accord. Neither of the deceased has been identified yet.
California Highway Patrol first responded at 8:19 p.m. to a report of a flat tire on I-80 west of Willow Avenue in Hercules.
The Accord had come to a complete stop in the leftmost lane of the highway, leading another car to stop behind it and triggering a succession of several rear-end collisions from other oncoming vehicles.No one was hurt in these collisions and the cars suffered only minor damage, California Highway Patrol said in a release Saturday.
But after the drivers had left their cars to exchange information, a blue Toyota Camry driving in the leftmost lane swerved into the center median to avoid the stopped cars, striking multiple people.
Both the San Leandro woman, who was “catapulted into the eastbound lanes of I-80 and subsequently hit” by oncoming vehicles, and the man, who was struck and landed in the center median, were declared dead at the scene, CHP said.
Others in the group were taken to a hospital by helicopter and ambulance for minor injuries, CHP said.
Authorities do not consider drugs or alcohol as a factor in the incident.