Two people were killed after being ejected from a vehicle in a predawn crash on a Southern California freeway that triggered lane closures and heavy rush-hour delays.
The California Highway Patrol logged the incident at 3:15 a.m. Thursday on the southbound 5 Freeway near Lincoln Avenue in Anaheim. Four people were inside the vehicle when it crashed, according to authorities.
Police believe the driver missed an exit and sent the vehicle careening approximately 15 feet down an embankment adjacent to the highway. The violent impact ejected two occupants, who were killed.
The crash occurred on an off-ramp, compounding the disruption as morning commuters poured onto the freeway. The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert closing two southbound lanes, and traffic remained snarled through the rush hour period as drivers navigated the bottleneck.
The remaining two occupants survived the crash, though their conditions were not immediately clear from the incident log. The vehicle’s plunge down the embankment suggests a high-speed or sudden maneuver as the driver attempted to make the missed exit.
SigAlerts are emergency notifications issued by the California Highway Patrol to warn motorists of significant traffic disruptions caused by crashes, hazardous conditions, or road closures. Thursday’s alert remained active through the morning commute as investigators processed the scene and crews worked to clear debris from the embankment area.
The 5 Freeway serves as a major north-south artery through Orange County, carrying tens of thousands of vehicles daily between Los Angeles and San Diego. Even partial lane closures on the route routinely cascade into regional delays, particularly during peak travel periods.
Anaheim, located in northern Orange County, sees heavy freeway traffic from both local residents and tourists heading to nearby attractions. The Lincoln Avenue interchange sits in a densely traveled section of the 5 where drivers frequently weave between exits for surface streets and connecting freeways.
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