3 killed after wrong-way driver slams into another car on 101 Freeway in Ventura

VENTURA, Calif. (KABC) -- Three people were killed after a wrong-way driver sped into oncoming traffic and slammed into another car on the 101 Freeway in Ventura Thursday.

The wreck occurred on the southbound 101 Freeway near the Seaward Avenue exit around midnight. A California Highway Patrol officer witnessed the driver getting on the freeway in the wrong direction. The officer said a black Toyota Scion was traveling at a very high rate of speed - close to 100 mph.

The officer tried to keep pace with the car on the other side of the freeway, but it was too late. The Scion 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.

The man and woman inside the Nissan were from the Riverside area, and the person inside the Scion was from Santa Paula, according to CHP. Their identities were not immediately released.

Authorities said drivers can protect themselves from such incidents by staying out of the fast lane.

"One tip that I might suggest is - if driving early morning hours, try to drive on the right-handed lanes. This suspect vehicle in this crash struck another vehicle, and that vehicle was traveling in the middle lane at the time," said CHP Sgt. Tom Webster

The crash was under investigation. Authorities are looking into whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the incident.

Multiple lanes on the 101 Freeway were shut down due to the wreck, but lanes have since reopened.