Three dead in fiery crash on East Bay freeway exit

WALNUT CREEK — Three people died late Tuesday when a car lost control on a freeway exit, crashed into a tree and caught fire, the California Highway Patrol said.

The crash happened around 10:40 p.m. on the North Main Street exit on northbound Interstate 680, according to the agency, and killed a woman and two men. Authorities did not immediately identify them, but the CHP said the driver was an 18-year-old woman from Fairfield.

Fire crews extinguished the flames.

According to the CHP, the woman driving the Pontiac Grand Prix appeared to take the exit while going too fast. The car veered off the roadway into a dirt vegetation area and hit a tree head-on, the CHP said.

The car then caught fire and became engulfed in flames before officers could arrive. All three people in the car died at the scene.

The CHP was unable to determine from the preliminary investigation whether drugs or alcohol were involved, but an autopsy on all three victims will help them determine that. The agency also is looking for witnesses to the crash and asked anyone with information to call their Contra Costa Office at 925-646-4980.

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