Woman killed in horrific Highway 880 chain reaction crash

OAKLAND, Calif.  (KTVU and wires) – A young woman was killed early Wednesday after her car was broadsided during a chain reaction crash on Highway 880 – an accident that slowed the southbound commute on the busy freeway for several hours.

The crash was reported at about 4:50 a.m. on southbound Highway 880 near High Street. Officers responded and found four vehicles at the scene, two of which were engulfed in flames, CHP Officer Sean Wilkenfeld said.

 Investigators determined the crash started when a 2001 Hyundai Sonata driven by a 47-year-old Oakland man stalled in the No. 2 lane of the highway. The female driver of a 2000 Honda Civic used her emergency brake to try to avoid the stalled Hyundai and came to rest sideways in the far left lane.

A 52-year-old San Francisco man driving a 2010 Subaru Forester then struck the Honda, which was also hit by a 2005 GMC 1500 driven by a 42-year-old Vacaville man, according to Wilkenfeld.

The driver of the Honda was killed in the crash. Her name is not yet being released by the Alameda County coroner's bureau.

The driver of the Subaru was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. His car and the Hyundai were the vehicles on fire when officers arrived.

The crash shut down multiple lanes of the highway for more than two hours. All lanes reopened as of shortly before 7:30 a.m., according to the CHP.

All of the drivers cooperated with the investigation into the crash and no arrests were made, Wilkenfeld said.

The CHP was advising morning commuters and travelers to the Oakland International Airport to take alternate routes.