A 29-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man died Sunday in Long Beach in a four-vehicle crash on both sides of the Long Beach (710) Freeway, the California Highway Patrol said.
Both people were killed while inspecting the damage from a previous crash, according to a department statement. CHP officers said a Chrysler driven by a 70-year-old South Gate man may have caused the chain-reaction crash, when it hit a car that had slowed near the wreck, on the southbound 710 approaching the San Diego (405) Freeway junction.
The chain of events began when a 2003 Lincoln Aviator driven by the woman, with a 17-year-old girl onboard, and a 1996 Honda Civic driven by the man crashed, according to the CHP.
Both drivers were inspecting their vehicles when a 1999 Honda Civic, being driven past, was rear-ended by a Chrysler Town and Country. That impact caused the passing Civic to smash into the crashed Civic, spinning it around.
As the crashed Civic hit the center divider, it struck the center divider and the three people on the freeway. The man and woman were killed at the scene, and the 17-year-old girl, a resident of Long Beach, suffered major injuries.
The names of the 29-year-old woman, a resident of Carson, and the 22- year-old man, a resident of Long Beach, will be released after their families are notified.
The driver of the 1999 Honda, a resident of Bellflower, suffered minor injuries. The South Gate man driving the Chrysler Town and Country suffered no injuries.
No citations were issued early in the investigation, the CHP said.
