Good Samaritans Die After Being Struck by Truck While Helping with Car Fire

A second man died today of injuries he suffered when a car struck him and two other men as they stood near a stopped vehicle that was on fire on the right shoulder of the northbound Hollywood (170) Freeway.

One man died at the scene of the accident, which occurred about 12:15 p.m. Thursday south of Sherman Way, said California Highway Patrol Officer Leland Tang of the West Valley Area office.

The two others were transported in critical condition to a hospital, where one died this morning, Tang said. The names of the dead were withheld pending notification of their relatives.

According to the preliminary investigation, a vehicle was pulled onto the right shoulder because of an engine fire, Tang said. The driver got out, and the fire department was notified.

Another vehicle then pulled onto the shoulder nearby, and its four occupants got out, Tang said.

At that time, the driver of a 2000 Toyota that was northbound in the No. 3 lane at about 70 mph swerved to the right, apparently to avoid an unrelated accident that had occurred in the Nos. 3 and 4 lanes, Tang said.

The Toyota then struck the three men, who were occupants of the vehicle that had pulled up behind the burning vehicle, Tang said. The Toyota, with one man lodged in its windshield, continued onto the Sherman Way offramp and crashed on an embankment, Tang said.

The driver of the Toyota, identified as 41-year-old Ronnie Catap, was taken to a hospital for treatment of moderate injuries and was not arrested, Tang said.

The crash occurred as firefighters were arriving on scene, and they rendered aid to the injured people, Tang said.

The exact sequence of events and the cause of the crash remained under investigation, he said.

City News Service