A driver was distracted by his phone before he crashed into a stalled car on the San Mateo Bridge Tuesday afternoon, leaving one person dead and another seriously injured, the California Highway Patrol said.
The collision happened at about 2:50 p.m. in the westbound lanes of the bridge, according to the CHP.
Citing a preliminary investigation, the CHP said a Kia sedan stalled out in the middle lane. Behind the sedan in the same lane but at an unknown distance was a Ford van. The driver of the van “became distracted by his cellular phone and looked away from the road,” the CHP said.
When the van driver looked back up at the roadway, he saw the stalled sedan directly in front of him, according to the CHP. The van driver tried to avoid a collision, but he slammed into the sedan.
The driver of the sedan died at the scene, the CHP said. A passenger in the van was taken to a local hospital with major injuries. The CHP did not say if the van driver was injured or not.
All westbound lanes of the bridge were shut down until about 7:45 p.m., according to the CHP.
