A crash on Interstate 5 in San Joaquin County early Tuesday killed three people and injured two California Highway Patrol officers, authorities said.
The crash occurred on the southbound side of the interstate just south of the Sacramento County line, KCRA reported.
The CHP Stockton office tweeted that the two officers were in a CHP vehicle that was struck in the rear around 2:30 a.m.
KCRA reported that the officers’ vehicle was on the shoulder of I-5 waiting for a tow truck to assist a tractor trailer that broke down overnight.
A passing car struck the CHP vehicle, plowed into trees, caught fire and the three people inside died.
The officers were pinned inside their vehicle. They were freed and flown to a hospital, where they were doing well and were expected to survive, according to a Stockton CHP office Facebook posting.
The area of the crash is northwest of Lodi.
