2 Die When Car Plows Into Freeway Construction Crew

Two men were killed and three injured Monday when a suspected drunk driver plowed into a group of construction workers on the Long Beach Freeway, authorities said.

One worker was in critical condition and the unidentified driver, 31, was also injured in the 6:27 p.m. accident. The crash snarled traffic in the freeway’s southbound lanes, south of the Rosecrans Avenue exit, California Highway Patrol officers said.

“A Ford Bronco for some reason just drove out of lanes and into the center divider and hit these guys,” said CHP Officer Steve Munday. “The initial indication is that the guy was driving under the influence.”

The driver will be charged with vehicular manslaughter, CHP officers said.

Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatcher Steve Riddell said one worker was killed at the scene. A second worker was dead on arrival at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center.

The driver and the other three injured workers were taken to hospitals. One worker was in critical condition at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Riddell said. Information on the conditions of the others was not immediately available.

The victims were employees of MCM Construction Co. of the Sacramento County community of North Highlands. Caltrans hired the firm to build the Long Beach Freeway interchange with the new Century Freeway, said Caltrans spokesman Russell Snyder. The $2-million project is scheduled to be completed by late next year.

The freeway’s southbound lanes were closed for at least four hours after the accident, with CHP officers diverting traffic at Imperial Highway.