LOCAL : 3 Killed as Truck, Van Collide on Rain-Slick Freeway in Irvine
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Three people were killed in an early morning traffic accident today in Irvine after their disabled van was rear-ended on the rain-slick Santa Ana Freeway, authorities said.
The accident occurred about 1:15 a.m. today on the Santa Ana Freeway just south of Sand Canyon Avenue, California Highway Patrol Officer Angel Johnson said.
Apparently the driver of the northbound van lost control of the vehicle in the heavy rain, Johnson said. “The van struck the right shoulder guard rail and came to rest in the No. 2 lane,” she said.
A northbound truck traveling in the same lane hit the back of the stalled van, killing all three of its occupants, Johnson said.
Daniel Mark Samsel, 33, of Lakeside, the driver of the mid-size moving truck, was unharmed, she said.
The driver of the van and one of the passengers went through the windshield, Johnson said. All three were pronounced dead at the scene, Johnson said. Police declined to identify the dead until next of kin could be notified.
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