1 killed, good Samaritan hurt in crash on Interstate 80 in San Pablo

SAN PABLO, Calif. -- A man killed in a car crash on Interstate Highway 80 in San Pablo early Sunday morning lead to two other collisions near the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol.

At about 5:50 a.m., a 2000 Honda Accord on westbound Highway 80 at San Pablo Dam Road was heading to an overcrossing but turned and crashed into a pillar near the right-hand shoulder, CHP Officer Sean Wilkenfeld said.

The vehicle caught on fire and the driver did not come out, he said.

Another man pulled in front of the burning car and used his own fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, Wilkenfeld said.

As the good Samaritan was working to extinguish the fire, he was hit by a passing car and suffered major injuries, according to Wilkenfeld.

The good Samaritan, a 36-year-old San Pablo man, was transported to John Muir Medical Center where he is expected to survive, the spokesman said.

Officers initially called the collision a hit-and-run, but an investigation indicated that another Honda Accord may have struck the man and stayed at the scene, Wilkenfeld said.

While officers were responding to the scene, a collision occurred when a Chevrolet Malibu observing the fatal crash was rear-ended by a Ford Windstar, resulting in minor injuries, he said.

Lanes were closed until about 8 a.m. for officers to conduct an investigation into all three incidents, CHP officials said.

Anyone with information on the fatal crash or two injury collisions is asked to call the Oakland CHP office at (510) 450-3821 or CHP tip line at (800) TELL-CHP (835-5247).