Tragedy struck on State Route 4 in Brentwood late Wednesday night when two drivers lost their lives in a horrific head-on collision. According to a social media post from CHP Contra Costa, the crash involved an Acura RL and a Nissan Ariya. The Acura, reportedly driving recklessly, veered over the central double yellow lines and collided with the Nissan traveling in the opposite direction.
Just west of Fairview Avenue, around 10:18 PM, the collision was severe enough to engulf the Nissan in flames following the impact. Both the driver of the Acura and the driver of the Nissan, who were the sole occupants of their vehicles, were killed on impact. Their identities have not yet been released pending family notification. The aftermath of the crash turned into a hazardous situation due to the chemicals in Nissan's battery. This prompted authorities to declare the site a hazmat incident, delaying retrieving the Nissan's driver.
Responding to the accident, CHP closed both directions of SR-4 at 10:28 PM, causing a significant disruption for night-time commuters. The road remained closed into the early hours yesterday, as emergency services tackled the hazmat situation and CHP conducted an on-scene investigation. It wasn't until 5:32 AM that the lanes were reopened to traffic.
