2 Killed as Van Flips in Crash

An Ontario man and his 13-year-old son were killed and the man’s wife severely injured Sunday afternoon when their van overturned on the traffic-choked Riverside Freeway near the State College Boulevard interchange in Anaheim.

The accident about 5:05 p.m. paralyzed all eastbound lanes of the freeway for about 2 1/2 hours. Westbound traffic also slowed to a crawl at the scene.

The California Highway Patrol identified the van driver as Terry Mason, 54, and his son as Everett J. Mason, 13. Bertha J. Mason, 48, was taken to UCI Medical Center with a broken leg, hip and kneecap, numerous cuts and a blow to the head, the CHP said.

CHP Officer Randy Rimmey said Terry Mason was driving east on the Riverside Freeway at 55 to 60 m.p.h. when he saw traffic slowing ahead. Rimmey said Mason slowed the van, but it swerved across two lanes, slamming into the concrete divider wall.

The van careened back into the fast lane, where it was struck by an oncoming car, Rimmey said. The van flipped over, and the boy was thrown out. The youth was run over by the same car that collided with the van, Rimmey said. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, and the father was dead on arrival at UCI Medical Center, Rimmey said. Rimmey said no citations were issued but that the accident remains under investigation.