A man was found dead inside a burning vehicle that had crashed through an overpass wall in Irvine, Sunday night. Investigators are still working to identify the driver of the single-vehicle crash.
Motorists near the scene reported that the crash occurred sometime after 11 p.m. The vehicle crashed through the concrete wall of an overpass and then fell several feet into the middle of I-5.
When firefighters arrived to the scene they found the car engulfed in flames on the freeway’s center divider, Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority told reporters. After working on the situation, fire fighters found a body inside a vehicle. It was the driver, who pronounced dead at the scene.
Irvine Police Department investigators believe that the vehicle had to be traveling “at a speed great enough to break through the wall,” said Lt. Julia Engen. The driver involved in the single-car crash has not been identified yet, she told reporters.
An initial investigation led officials to believe that the driver of the Toyota Matrix had been traveling south in the carpool lane just before the fiery crash.
The driver of the Matrix exited the freeway at Barranca Parkway in the carpool lane where Barranca Parkway intersects the freeway exit in a “T” intersection on the overpass, crossed the roadway and crashed into the retaining wall on the opposite side. At this point, the Toyota Matrix broke through the concrete wall and fencing, and then fell several feet onto the freeway. It landed on the center median away from traffic lanes in both directions of the I-5.
Officials worked hard to clear and investigate the scene but several southbound lanes of the freeway where shut down until 4 a.m. Monday.
Single-vehicle collisions can unexpectedly happen. To lessen the chances of being in collision, it is important to be aware of your surroundings and to follow the laws of the road but even then, a car accident can happen when its least expected.
Victims of car accidents naturally file a claim against insurance companies and expect to get the compensation they deserve to cover the costs associated with the wreck. Unfortunately, insurance companies aim to pay as minimum as possible and take advantage of the victim’s emotional state. They push victims to commit to a meager compensation, which because of their emotional state, often accept and forget to pursue other monetary compensation they are entitled to receive. Instead, insurance companies pocket the money and leave you, the victim, scrambling to find the financial resources you need to cover your costs.
Don’t be left fighting against insurance companies on your own, let one of our Irvine car accident lawyers do it for you and get you the compensation you deserve. Call (877)782-3777 to speak to car accident lawyer near you!