3 Dead, 5 Injured As Car Flies Down 680 Embankment In Pleasanton

PLEASANTON, CA — Three people died and six were injured, including two babies, after a driver lost control of their car on I-680 in Pleasanton, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The incident began at around 2:30 p.m. Monday when a Honda Pilot traveling southbound near the Sunol-Castlewood exit blew out its right rear tire, the driver told CHP officers. The driver steered to the left to avoid going down an embankment on the west shoulder. That caused his left side tires to ride up the jersey wall bordering the east side of the lanes. The car rode up the wall, and the driver lost control. The car veered to the right and crossed all lanes before traversing the right shoulder. The car then flew over a sloped curb edge and hit a tree along the right shoulder then landed on an embankment and slid down roughly 20 feet to the base, according to a report from the Alameda County Fire Department.

Emergency crews arrived to find two dead adults, and another person ejected from the back window who was not wearing a seatbelt. Another person in the right rear seat was also not restrained. The driver and two babies were transported to Oakland Hospital, and are reported to be in stable condition with minor injuries. Another person who was transported to the hospital with major injuries died later, CHP said. Another major injury patient was taken to San Jose Regional Hospital with a broken pelvis. She admitted to not wearing a seatbelt.

A Sig-Alert was issued, and the right two lanes of southbound 680 near Pleasanton were closed for about four hours Monday afternoon, CHP Officer Tyler Hahn said.

“This crash is still under investigation. Based on statements from those involved and examination on scene, this is a dark reminder that seatbelts save lives,” Hahn wrote in a report.