Three people were killed early Thursday morning after a wrong-way driver slammed into oncoming traffic on the 101 Freeway in Ventura.
The wreck happened around midnight on Thursday on the southbound 101 Freeway near Seaward Avenue.
A California Highway Patrol officer saw the driver in a black Toyota Scion get on the freeway in the wrong direction, traveling at a very high rate of speed. The officer attempted to keep pace with the car on the northbound side of the highway, but was unable to prevent a tragedy. The Scion eventually collided head-on with a Nissan with two people inside.
The driver of the Scion and the two people inside the Nissan were all pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities were not immediately released.
CHP Sgt. Tom Webster said the crash was one of the worst he'd seen in his 20-year career. Multiple lanes on the 101 Freeway were shut down because of the accident, but lanes were reopened later Thursday morning.
The cause of the crash and whether drugs or alcohol may have played a part is under investigation.