A suspected wrong-way driver slammed head-on into another vehicle on northbound Interstate 680 near Willow Pass Road in Concord overnight, killing two people and sending others to the hospital. The crash happened at around 1:50 a.m. and triggered a full freeway shutdown that lasted for hours as investigators worked the scene.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, which occurred at I-680 North and the Willow Pass Road on-ramp, according to contracosta.news. The outlet reported that the collision was believed to be a head-on crash caused by a possible wrong-way driver, and that at least two people were pronounced dead at the scene while multiple others were injured and taken to an area hospital. A separate CHP incident feed logged the collision as a head-on traffic crash and recorded two confirmed fatalities.
A dispatch log cited by the same contracosta.news report indicated that two injured people were transported to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, with injuries described as a fractured leg and internal injuries. CBS News reported that the California Highway Patrol said the crash happened on northbound I-680 south of Willow Pass Road just before 2 a.m., and that traffic was diverted onto Highway 242 while the freeway remained closed.
Freeway Closure Stretched Into Morning Commute
The report from contracosta.news noted that a full freeway closure was in place by approximately 2:02 a.m. as crews worked to clear the scene and CHP investigated. The shutdown affected the overnight commute window and forced drivers onto detour routes for hours before lanes reopened.
Accounts differ on exactly when northbound I-680 reopened. CBS News reported that all lanes were back open by 6:19 a.m., while the CHP incident feed logged the reopening at 6:26 a.m. Further details on the cause of the crash were not immediately available, per CBS News.
Part of a Troubling Pattern on Bay Area Freeways
The Concord crash is the latest in a string of wrong-way collisions on Bay Area roads in recent months. Just over a week ago, on October 10, a woman fleeing Contra Costa County sheriff's deputies in a high-speed chase turned the wrong way onto Highway 4 near Concord and caused a head-on collision, according to the Mercury News. That wrong-way vehicle struck several cars, including a Jeep Grand Cherokee head-on, though the Jeep's driver suffered only minor injuries.
In August, a wrong-way driver on Interstate 505 in Solano County crashed head-on into another car and killed a 66-year-old woman, and authorities later arrested a man they believed was driving under the influence, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Investigators believed the 45-year-old driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe missed an exit, made a U-turn on the freeway, and then struck a Nissan Kicks. In May, a wrong-way driver on I-680 in Walnut Creek collided with six vehicles near Treat Boulevard, killing one person and injuring seven others, with northbound lanes blocked until about 3:35 a.m., as reported by DanvilleSanRamon.com.
Statewide Numbers Show a Rising Trend
Statewide data suggests these incidents aren't isolated. Preliminary California Highway Patrol figures showed 182 injury crashes caused by wrong-way drivers in 2021, nearly double the 98 recorded in 2014, according to KSBW. Separate figures reported by ABC7 News put California's wrong-way-driver crash total at 208 in 2019, 220 in 2020 and 296 in 2021.
Still, CHP Officer Andrew Barclay told ABC7 News that these crashes account for less than one-half of 1% of crashes statewide, even though wrong-way drivers kill an average of 500 people nationwide each year. Barclay said impairment is frequently a factor, noting, “Very often impairment plays a part in these incidents, whether it's alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both.” No cause has been confirmed for the Concord crash, and further details were not immediately available.
