405 Collision Injures CHP Officers, Prius Driver

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA — The southbound 405 Freeway through Fountain Valley was at a standstill early Friday after a motorist crashed into a California Highway Patrol vehicle. A woman driving a Toyota Prius and two California Highway Patrol officers involved in the collision all suffered minor injuries.

The three were taken by ambulance to area hospitals, CHP officer Monica Posada said.
The crash occurred about 2:45 a.m. just south of the Warner Avenue exit.

The Prius was cut off by a big rig, and then slammed into the back of the CHP vehicle with two officers inside, according to Officer Daniel Howard of the CHP's Westminster Office.

The officers were parked in lanes closed for Caltrans work at the time of the crash.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, Howard said.

The accident prompted the closure of all southbound lanes of the freeway, and CHP diverted traffic off the freeway at Warner Avenue.

As of 7:45 a.m., the Number 3 and 4 lanes of the southbound freeway were reopened, and an hour later traffic remained slow through the area, both north and southbound.