Updated: Westbound Highway 4 Shut Down After Fatal Crash

At 8:03 am Wednesday, emergency responders were dispatched to two vehicle crashes a few hundred yards apart at Westbound Highway 4 near Railroad.

The first crash was reported as a motorcyclist down. About a minute later, a 5-vehicel crash was reported with one vehicle on its side.

Contra Costa County Fire arrived on scene reporting at least one fatality with as many as five people being deemed as “walking wounded”.

CONFIRE is still recurrently on scene assessing the patients and have requested at least 3 AMR units to respond.

As of 8:21 am, Battalion Chief 8 requested a medical helicopter for a 4-year-old child who was in critical. The helicopter is going to be landing on the freeway. The helicopter was since cancelled in favor of ground transport. BC8 confirmed a total of six patients.

Update per CHP:

MUTI-CAR FATALITY COLLISION ON HWY 4

This morning at about 8:01am, Contra Costa CHP was advised of a traffic collision involving multiple vehicles on westbound HWY 4 just west of Railroad Avenue. Upon CHP and emergency personnel arrival, it was determined that approximately seven vehicles were involved in this collision. Tragically the female driver of a Nissan Sentra did not survive and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Just prior to this collision a motorcyclist and Dodge sedan were involved in a non-injury collision just west of this location. Subsequently that collision slowed traffic more than the already traffic jammed westbound HWY 4 during morning commute hours.

In the initial investigation, it appears that the female driver of the Nissan Sentra (22yr old female from Discovery Bay) and her passenger had slowed to a stop within the far right lane for slowing and stopped traffic ahead of her. Then as a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV approached her to the rear, the driver was unable to stop to avoid the Nissan and collided into the rear of the stopped Nissan, causing major damage.

Then the Chevy Tahoe SUV sideswiped a Dodge truck and then collided into an Audi sedan before flipping over itself and sliding into two more vehicles, a Toyota Highlander and a Chevy Trailblazer, before ultimately coming to stop against a Honda Civic. The Nissan Sentra and Chevrolet Tahoe both sustained major damage.

Unfortunately the 22yr old female driver of the Nissan succumb to her injuries at the scene. Her male passenger was transported to a local hospital with major injuries but non-life-threatening. The mother and father from the Chevrolet Tahoe were also transported to local hospital for major injuries but not life-threatening and their child was transported as well but just for precautionary reasons but no report of injury.

All the other parties and drivers involved remained on scene and did not sustain any injuries.

HWY 4 westbound was shutdown for approximately 2hrs and 45min, but with the #1 lane remained open allowing traffic to flow through. This shut down of lanes was needed due to the extensive damage and number of vehicles for this fatality collision investigation.

At this time it is unknown if drugs or alcohol are a factor in this collision but it is still an ongoing investigation. If anyone witnessed it or the events leading up to it, please contact Contra Costa CHP in Martinez, (925) 646-4980 and investigating Officer Gutierrez. Thank you.