Six family members die in fiery I-5 wreck

Two Bay Area women and four of their children died in a fiery crash Tuesday morning in Southern California on Interstate Highway 5, after their minivan was struck by a big rig, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Two men who survived the accident, including the driver, were the husbands of the women and fathers of the children, according to CHP Officer Ron Pomeroy.

Around 3:30 a.m., a 2016 Toyota Sienna minivan carrying eight people was traveling on southbound Highway 5, just south of Gorman School Road near the unincorporated community of Gormon in Los Angeles County, CHP officials said.

The minivan, which was being driven by a 34-year-old San Francisco man, became involved in a non-injury collision with a BMW, according to the CHP.

The BMW came to rest in the highway’s center divider, while the minivan stopped in the highway’s right shoulder, partially blocking one of the highway’s lanes, CHP officials said.

A short time later, a big rig traveling about 55 miles per hour south on the highway struck the back of the minivan. The impact of the crash pushed the minivan down a dirt embankment, where it caught fire, according to the CHP.

The minivan’s driver and a 45-year-old Daly City man were able to escape from the minivan.

The two men, along with responding emergency personnel, attempted to extricate the two women and four children who were trapped inside. The severity of the fire prevented any efforts to save the victims, CHP officials said.

The six victims were pronounced dead at the scene. They have been identified only as a 33-year-old San Francisco woman, a Daly City woman, two San Francisco children and two Daly City children.

The two survivors were airlifted to a nearby hospital with moderate injuries. The driver of the big rig was not injured, according to the CHP.