Los Altos, CA, October 23 – A five-vehicle collision on southbound Interstate 280 near Foothill Expressway in Los Altos left two people dead Thursday evening, after a northbound Lexus crossed the median and struck multiple vehicles in oncoming traffic, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash was reported at about 5:09 p.m. Authorities have not released the identities of those involved, and the cause remains under investigation.
Los Altos Crash on Interstate 280 Kills Two in Five-Vehicle Collision
Officers who responded to the crash found five vehicles involved, according to the California Highway Patrol. A preliminary investigation determined that the Lexus had been traveling northbound when it crossed the concrete median separating the highway’s lanes and entered the southbound side, where it struck multiple vehicles, the agency said. The CHP has not specified how many of the five vehicles were struck directly by the Lexus.
The Lexus driver and the driver of another vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP. A third driver involved in the collision was taken to a hospital as a precaution. All southbound lanes of Interstate 280 were temporarily closed following the crash while crews cleared debris and investigators examined the scene, the CHP said.
Traffic was diverted at Magdalena Avenue while the closure was in effect, with Caltrans assisting the CHP at the scene. The southbound lanes of Interstate 280 reopened later Thursday evening once the investigation and cleanup were complete. The CHP’s preliminary investigation remains open as it works to determine exactly how the Lexus crossed into oncoming traffic.
The cause of the crash and the specific circumstances that led the Lexus to cross into oncoming traffic have not been determined, according to the CHP. The names of the drivers involved, including the two who died, have not been released. The condition of the third driver taken to the hospital has also not been disclosed.
What the at-fault driver is required to carry, and why it often is not enough
Vehicle Code section 16056 sets California’s minimum liability limits, and they changed recently. For a policy issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, the minimum is $30,000 for injury to or death of one person, $60,000 where two or more people are hurt, and $15,000 for property damage. Policies written before that date may still carry the older minimum of $15,000, $30,000 and $5,000.
Those are floors, not typical limits, and a single hospital admission can exhaust the lower figure before any other loss is counted. Where the at-fault driver carries the minimum, the uninsured and underinsured motorist cover on the injured person’s own policy is often the part that matters most, and it is worth checking early rather than after the other insurer has made an offer.
The deadline that applies to a claim like this one
Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives two years for an action for injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another. The same two years covers an injury claim and a death claim; there is no separate, shorter period because someone died.
Who is entitled to bring a claim when someone is killed
Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60 decides who may bring a wrongful death action. The first group is the surviving spouse, domestic partner, children and the issue of deceased children, or, where there is no surviving issue, whoever would take the estate by intestate succession.
A second group may bring the action only if they were financially dependent on the person who died: a putative spouse and their children, stepchildren, parents, and the legal guardians of the person who died where the parents are deceased. Parents are in that second group, which is the part families are most often surprised by, because dependency has to be shown rather than assumed.
Talking to someone about it
Culver Legal represents people injured in collisions across California. A conversation about what happened costs nothing, and we work on a contingency fee, which means there is no fee unless we win. If we do not win, we do not pass the case costs on to you either.
Nothing on this page is legal advice about any particular case, and the facts of a reported collision often change as the investigation continues.
