Fiery I-880 crash in San Leandro kills two

SAN LEANDRO — A big rig overturned on Interstate 880 Thursday morning, crashing into oncoming traffic and bursting into flames in a five-car collision that left two dead and caused massive traffic delays throughout the day.

The 9:30 a.m. accident occurred near the Marina Boulevard exit when a southbound Waste Management rig swerved for unknown reasons and lost control, plowing into the median and colliding head-on with a flatbed tow truck and a truck carrying empty coffins, California Highway Patrol Officer Oscar Johnson said.

Police said they believed those who died were the drivers of the big rig and the casket truck. The casket truck driver had not been publicly identified by press time. A Waste Management spokesman identified the big rig driver as Victor Mercado of Oakland, a 49-year-old father of four.

The tow truck driver suffered minor injuries and nobody else was hurt, Johnson said.

Mercado was a 24-year employee with a clean driving record, Waste Management’s David Tucker said.

“He was an excellent driver, a safe driver,” Tucker said. “He was a well-liked and well-respected employee.” Mercado had just left the Davis Street Transfer Station and was on his way to the Altamont landfill in Livermore, Tucker said.

“A lot of employees within Waste Management send their prayers to not only Victor’s family, but to the family of the other driver” killed in the crash, he said.

The casket truck belonged to Batesville Casket Co., based in Batesville, Ind. An employee there said the company had heard about the accident but did not have a statement.

The big rig slid about 35 yards, spreading trash, oil and chunks of concrete across the freeway in all directions. About 30 firefighters were summoned to extinguish the blaze that consumed the twisted semi as it lay sideways on the center divide.

Police speculated that the big rig driver might have been trying to avoid something in the roadway, but the official cause is under investigation.

WestCoast911 story source - The Argus/By Gideon Rubin the Daily Review / read entire article