Truck Rams Semitrailer Near Castaic; 2 Die

Two people were killed Friday and three lanes of the Golden State Freeway near Castaic were briefly closed when a flatbed truck rear-ended a semitrailer truck, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The victims, a 45-year-old man and his 39-year-old wife from Sacramento, were not identified because investigators were unable to notify their family.

Officer David Stark said both victims were in the flatbed truck, which ran into the rear of the semitrailer truck about 5:30 a.m. in a southbound lane of the freeway near the Templin Highway exit.

Stark said the flatbed was carrying a load of barrels filled with small electrical engines and car parts. The truck was headed down an incline in the freeway and struck the other truck for an unknown reason. The barrels slid forward, crushed the truck cab and spilled onto the freeway.

Both victims were dead at the scene. The driver of the trailer-truck, Dennis Smith, 28, of Scappoose, Ore., was not injured. Three lanes of the freeway were closed for an hour while the debris was cleared.