3 dead, 5 injured in crash on Highway 101 near Sunnyvale

Three people were killed and five injured Monday morning in a major multi-vehicle crash on northbound Highway 101 near Sunnyvale, a city just outside San Jose, officials said.

The six-car collision occurred on Highway 101 at Fair Oaks Boulevard just after 12:30 a.m., California Highway Patrol told SFGATE.

All lanes were closed on 101 in both directions between Lawrence Expressway and Fair Oaks Avenue, and traffic controls were set up as of 2:30 a.m. to divert traffic onto Lawrence Expressway.

Lee said the collision was triggered by a driver traveling northbound who lost control, collided into the center median and came to a full stop.

"Additional vehicles traveling northbound collided with the stopped vehicle," he said. "Ultimately, we had six vehicles involved."

The three people who died had all stepped outside their vehicles onto the highway and were hit as the cars crashed into one another.

"It's believed that one of the vehicles traveling northbound hit a stopped vehicle that was spun around and threw two pedestrians over the center median wall," Lee said. "They landed in the southbound lanes and were struck by a vehicle."

Lee said that he did not have information on the extent of the injuries to five people who were transported to local hospitals.

The preliminary investigation did not find that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the collision.

"The collision is still under investigation," Lee said. "All information is subject to change depending on what information we can elaborate on over the course of the investigation."