605 Freeway

Driver Made U-Turn on Freeway Before Fiery Head-On Crash That Killed Two

One of the drivers made a U-turn on the freeway before the deadly collision.

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Two people were killed in a fiery head-on collision after a drive made a U-turn on a Southern California freeway.

The crash in Cerritos was reported at about 2:30 a.m. on the 605 Freeway near South Street.

A witness traveling south on the freeway told the California Highway Patrol that the driver of a Hyundai stopped on the right shoulder, turned around and headed north in southbound lanes. The Hyundai collided with a Honda Civic, and both cars were engulfed in flames as the witness called 911 to report the wrong-way driver.

A witness pulled the Honda driver from the car and began CPR, but the victim died at the scene, the CHP said. She was identified only as a woman in her 20s or 30s.

"It’s tragic that something like this happened to her on this Friday early morning," said CHP Officer Marcos Iniguez.

The other driver was trapped inside the Hyundai and died at the scene. It was not immediately clear why the driver stopped and turned around, the CHP said. 

The collision closed all southbound lanes of the freeway for several hours.

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