The coroner’s office today released the name of the 65- year-old man who drove the wrong way on the San Diego (405) Freeway in Lawndale, collided with a big rig, got out of his car and was killed when he was struck by several vehicles.
He was Charles Hoch of Manhattan Beach, said coroner’s Lt. Larry Dietz.
The fatality, which closed all southbound lanes of the freeway for about 3 1/2 hours, occurred about 4:15 a.m. Wednesday, the CHP reported.
Hoch was headed north in the freeway’s southbound lanes just south of Hawthorne Boulevard when his 2008 Honda collided with a 2012 Freightliner driven by a 27-year-old Fontana man, according to the CHP.
The Honda struck a concrete sound wall after colliding with the big rig and the driver then exited the car and entered the main portion of the freeway, “where he was struck by multiple vehicles and sustained fatal injuries,” according to a CHP statement.
Hoch was pronounced dead at the scene. The big rig driver was not hurt. There was moderate fog in the area at the time of the crash, but it was unclear if that was a contributing factor.
A SigAlert was declared by the CHP at 4:29 a.m., CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos said. All southbound lanes were closed and traffic was diverted off the freeway at Hawthorne Boulevard. The lanes were reopened about 8 a.m., the CHP reported.
