Four die in Hwy 101 wrong-way collision

A wrong-way collision killed four people early Thursday morning, prompting closure of all lanes of northbound U.S. Highway 101 in San Francisco for several hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred shortly before 12:30 a.m. just north of Candlestick Point and south of Third Street, CHP Officer Bert Diaz said. The CHP received multiple reports of a Volkswagen going south in the northbound lanes of the highway, first at the Interstate Highway 280 junction and then near Candlestick Point. Officers then came across the crash between the Volkswagen and a Ford Escape taxi, Diaz said.

The Volkswagen driver, a woman believed to be in her 30s, died in the crash as well as three people in the taxi — a man in his 60s driving the vehicle and a male and female passenger, according to the CHP. The crash initially closed all northbound lanes of the highway. The two left lanes reopened by about 4:50 a.m., and all lanes reopened around 7 a.m., CHP officials said.