A fatal East Bay crash led to a chain-reaction wreck that killed another motorist, CHP says

The deadly collisions happened less than a mile apart on I-80 in Richmond

RICHMOND, VA. — Two men were killed in separate traffic collisions on Interstate 80 on Sunday, with the second death occurring while California Highway Patrol officers were on the scene of the first.

The first fatality occurred at 3:53 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 80 eastbound, east of Macdonald Avenue.

The coroner’s office identified him as Ernest Holloway, 33, of Oakland.

Holloway was driving a Toyota sedan when it collided with a guard rail, causing him to be ejected, according to CHP Officer Adib Zeid. He was killed on the highway.

There were no other vehicles involved.

According to authorities, the subsequent lane closures and traffic backup contributed to the second death, which occurred less than a mile away.

Armando G. Modales Jr., 47, of San Pablo, was killed and at least three others were injured in a multi-vehicle chain reaction collision in the eastbound lanes of I-80 near Cutting Boulevard around 5:55 a.m., according to authorities.

Officers at the scene of the first fatality, according to Zeid, could hear the second collisions.

According to the CHP, five vehicles, including a Toyota Siena Modales, were halted due to the fatal collision ahead of them, as well as wet weather.

According to the CHP, the driver of a 2015 Mitsubishi box truck was traveling at an unsafe speed for the weather and road conditions when he collided with the Toyota, causing a chain reaction of collisions.

At the scene, Modales was pronounced dead.

According to the CHP, three occupants of some of the other vehicles were taken to hospitals with complaints of pain.

The driver of the box truck remained at the scene and was cooperating with investigators.

According to the CHP, drugs or alcohol are not suspected to have played a role in what happened.

No citations or arrests were made pending the outcome of the investigation.

Anyone with information about the collisions is asked to contact the Oakland CHP at 510-457-2875.