Shortly before 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning, the California Highway Patrol began receiving 911 calls reporting that a pick up truck was driving the wrong way on the 55 freeway in Orange at high speed.
Numerous callers reported that the truck was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of the freeway starting around the 22 freeway.
CHP officers from the Santa Ana office responded to the area and attempted to locate the wrong way truck as the 911 calls continued. One of those responding CHP units was northbound on the 55 approaching the Lincoln Avenue exit when it encountered an SUV stopped in the middle lanes off the freeway for unknown reasons.
The patrol car was unable to stop in time and slammed into the back of the Kia SUV at highway speeds sending the SUV with 6 people in it careening down the freeway.
The first arriving Orange Fire Department unit declared the crash a Mass Casualty Incident due to the number of patients and the extent of their injuries. A total of 11 fire units responded to the incident and treated 8 patients. The most seriously injured were transported by ambulance to UCI Medical Center in Orange. The 2 injured CHP Officers were also taken to UCI. Their injuries were determined to be non life threatening.
Two drivers not involved in the crash were arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence when CHP Officers noticed them in the back up behind the crash scene.
The reported wrong way driver was last seen approaching the 91 freeway but was not located despite other CHP Officers being in the area.
All lanes of the northbound 55 freeway were closed for about an hour.
