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Woman dies when car collides with Calif. Highway Patrol car

The 70-year-old driver of a 1998 Honda Accord apparently lost control of his vehicle, crashing into the rear of the CHP car and killing the passenger on impact

By John Wildermuth
The Chronicle Staff

LIVERMORE, Calif. — A Sacramento-area woman was killed Sunday morning when the car she was riding in slammed into a California Highway Patrol car that was parked in the center divide of Interstate 580 in Livermore.

The CHP officer was dealing with a non-injury accident at about 9:30 a.m. when the 70-year-old driver of a 1998 Honda Accord apparently lost control of his vehicle, according to the CHP. The car spun wildly into the center median, where it crashed into the rear of the patrol car.

The Honda’s passenger, Lan Ngo, 61, died in the collision. The car’s driver, a Sacramento-area man whose name was not released, was taken to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley with moderate injuries, officers said.

The CHP officer, whose name also was not released, was outside of his car when the accident occurred and was not injured. Officers have yet to determine why the driver lost control of the Honda, but said alcohol does not appear to be involved.

The crash blocked the fast lane of westbound I-580 for nearly three hours.

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