Two people were killed, and three others were rushed to the hospital in critical condition after a violent four-vehicle wreck tore through the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Anaheim Boulevard early Tuesday, shutting down a key Anaheim crossroads for hours. The crash triggered a major emergency response and turned the morning commute into a detour-heavy slog as crews worked to clear the mangled cars and investigators tried to sort out the chain of impact.
What the police say
Anaheim police say officers first spotted a silver Infiniti traveling at a high rate of speed near Cypress Street and Harbor Boulevard shortly before the crash, and that the driver allegedly hit the gas instead of slowing down when they saw patrol units. A short time later, officers came upon the four-vehicle collision at Lincoln and Anaheim, where two people were pronounced dead at the scene, and three others were transported to local hospitals in critical condition, according to CBS Los Angeles.
The department emphasized that officers did not initiate a pursuit. Investigators reviewing traffic camera footage say the Infiniti ran a red light in the intersection, where it was struck by a blue sedan and then pushed into a red sedan. That sequence, police say, is at the center of their reconstruction of how the crash unfolded.
Intersection safety and context
The Lincoln and Harbor corridor has already been under scrutiny for safety improvements and congestion relief. A City of Anaheim staff report outlines proposed intersection upgrades and grant applications to widen approaches and add turn lanes, while Orange County Transportation Authority documents list Lincoln-area projects in ongoing Measure M2 funding talks.
The staff report calls for a dedicated right-turn lane at Harbor and other changes aimed at reducing conflict points during peak hours. City planners have framed these proposals as part of a broader push to redesign high-risk corridors where high-speed collisions are more likely to turn deadly, underscoring how traffic engineering and enforcement are now colliding with harsh reality at busy intersections like this one.
Aftermath and commute impact
Police said the Lincoln and Anaheim intersection would remain shut for part of the morning commute while firefighters and tow crews removed wreckage and investigators documented the scene, according to CBS Los Angeles. Officials have not yet released the names of those killed or injured, and Anaheim police say the investigation is ongoing.
Drivers were urged to steer clear of the area and brace for lingering backups as traffic slowly returned to normal around the battered intersection.
