A Honda driver was killed and a Toyota Camry driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a two-car crash Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18, on westbound Highway 24 where it turns into Interstate 980 in Oakland, the California Highway Patrol said. The crash happened just east of the 27th Street off-ramp.
The Honda driver was pronounced dead at the scene, CHP told NBC Bay Area. The Toyota driver had minor injuries and was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI. CHP has not released either driver's name or age, and had not said what caused the collision.
How the closure unfolded
The first report reached CHP about 3:58 p.m. as a two-vehicle crash between a dark blue sedan and a gray sedan, with one car sitting perpendicular to the roadway, according to the CHP incident log. Oakland firefighters were called within minutes.
By about 4:18 p.m. officers had set a hard closure from westbound 24 to westbound 980, and a SigAlert went out shortly after for lanes 2 through 4 of westbound I-980 east of 27th Street, with no estimated reopening time. Officers also moved to shut the 51st Street on-ramp to westbound 980, and Oakland police later advised sending traffic onto Interstate 580 instead. Caltrans crews were requested to help with the closure. The log notes major front-end damage to both the Camry and the Honda Civic.
Three westbound lanes of I-980 stayed blocked for several hours while investigators worked the scene, NBC Bay Area and the San Francisco Focal reported. The stretch carries Highway 24 traffic from the Caldecott Tunnel toward downtown Oakland.
What happens next
Because the crash happened on a state freeway, CHP's Oakland office is handling the investigation and the crash report. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office decides whether to file charges once CHP finishes its investigation. No blood alcohol results had been released as of Monday morning, Hoodline reported, and the investigation remains open.
It was the second deadly freeway crash in Alameda County on Sunday. Earlier that morning, a chain-reaction crash of up to eight vehicles on southbound I-880 at Mission Boulevard in Fremont killed at least one person and closed lanes for hours.