A chain-reaction crash involving two vehicles and a semi truck resulted in the death of one of the drivers early Saturday in La Mesa, California Highway Patrol officials said.
The first of two crashes occurred around 1:35 a.m. when the Volvo T680 traveling east on Interstate 8 near Fletcher Parkway crossed into the path of a Ford Ranger heading in the same direction, CHP officials said. The pickup then crashed into the back of the semi at about 45 mph.
A few moments later, a Toyota C-HR — driven by a 64-year-old man with a 61-year-old woman riding as a passenger — crashed into the two vehicles at approximately 70 mph, according to investigators.
The Ford pickup’s 28-year-old driver, an El Cajon resident, was taken to a hospital, where he died. His name was not released pending notification of his family.
The Toyota’s driver and passenger were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital with minor injuries. The semi truck driver was not injured.
It is unknown if drugs and/or alcohol played a factor in the crash.