Castroville, CA : Man died after a car collided with a big rig hauling lettuce on Highway 183 near Cooper Road near Castroville on Tuesday afternoon, Nov 17, 2015

A man died Tuesday afternoon after his car collided with a big rig hauling lettuce on Highway 183 between Cooper and Espinosa roads.

The accident was compounded when two more vehicles crashed near the big rig and became engulfed in flames, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The man who died was driving his Mercedes south toward Salinas when he veered into the other lane and crashed head-on with the big rig, said CHP investigator Shawn Russell.

Witnesses said the drivers appeared to be traveling at safe to moderate speeds, Russell said. The driver of the big rig was taken to the hospital with complaints of pain.

The second accident happened shortly after the first one, said CHP spokesman Oscar Loza. The cars caught fire when they collided, but both drivers survived the accident. One of them was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The accident does not appear to have been caused by drugs or alcohol, investigators said.

Source :

Fiery collision kills driver near Castroville