LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA – Two families who lost loved ones in a deadly crash on the 605 Freeway in Norwalk have announced they filed a legal claim against the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the state.
According to the claim, a CHP officer allegedly caused the first crash by colliding with the victims’ vehicle, leaving it stranded in the roadway. The families also allege that the officer failed to secure the scene after the initial collision, which allowed a second deadly impact to occur just minutes later.
The incident happened around 1 a.m. on July 20, near the interchange with the 105 Freeway. While authorities initially believed it was a single crash, investigations later revealed there were two separate collisions: the first between a CHP cruiser and a Nissan carrying four people, and the second when a Kia—allegedly driven by an impaired motorist—slammed into the disabled Nissan.
The force of the second impact caused the Nissan to burst into flames, killing all four occupants.
This government claim is considered the first step toward a possible civil lawsuit for negligence against the State of California and the CHP.
