LODI, Calif. — 6 p.m. Update:
The officers involved in a deadly crash in Lodi are expected to survive.
According to a Facebook post from Stockton CHP, the two officers have a long road to recovery. Stockton CHP also thanked the community for the well wishes and prayers.
Original Story:
Three people have died and two California Highway Patrol [CHP] officers are in the hospital with major injuries after an accident Tuesday morning on Interstate 5 in Lodi, CHP said.
CHP told ABC10 that the crash occurred on I-5 southbound near Peltier Road. Around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 23, two CHP officers pulled over along the highway to assist a big rig that had stalled earlier. While the officers were helping the truck driver, their CHP vehicle was rear ended by a 2021 Subaru SUV.
That crash sent the CHP vehicle down an embankment and the SUV crashed into a tree, "and became fully engulfed in flames," according to a Facebook post by CHP - Stockon.
Unfortunately, all three people in the passing car were killed, CHP told ABC10. The two officers received major injuries and were taken to the hospital by helicopter.
It is still too early to know whether drugs or alcohol played a part in the cause of the crash.
CHP said that part of the freeway is down to one lane at this time, as will likely be the case for several hours as investigators block the area off to traffic. The CHP MAIT team (Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team) is on scene handling the investigation.
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