A box truck veered into a guardrail near Chino Hills, striking workers who were cleaning up along the 71 Freeway, killing two, injuring another and creating traffic gridlock for commuters Monday morning.
On the northbound lanes of the 71 Freeway, a cleanup crew of about a seven workers hired by Caltrans was working behind the right shoulder guardrail, just past Euclid Avenue. A few feet behind them on the right shoulder was their van with an attached trailer, both flashing hazard lights.
All of the crew members were standing outside the white Ford Transit van except for the van driver, William Hope, 59, of Beaumont.
Around 8:37 a.m. a Peterbilt box truck sideswiped the parked van, causing the truck to lose control, said Rodrigo Jimenez, public information officer for the California Highway Patrol.
ABC7’s on scene video shows the work van had a logo on it for Chrysalis , a nonprofit that provides job-readiness programs to assist low-income and unhoused people in finding employment. Jimenez confirmed the crew members were from Chrysalis.