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2 Dead In 2 Separate Accidents On Interstate 5 In Griffith Park

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Two separate fatal accidents forced the closure of Interstate 5 in Griffith Park early Monday morning.

The first deadly accident occurred around midnight on the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway near the Colorado Boulevard off-ramp.

Jacob Richcter, 25, whose car was stopped on the freeway, was struck repeatedly by several vehicles while walking across the roadway, the California Highway Patrol said.

After the driver was hit, four cars were involved in a pile-up. Richcter was pronounced dead on the scene, but no other serious injuries were reported, the CHP said.

A Sig Alert was issued.

A second accident around 2 a.m. forced the CHP to shut down the eastbound lanes of the Ventura (134) Freeway at the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway interchange.

A black Sedan was stopped on the freeway when a silver car rear-ended it, officials said.

The silver car spun off the road and caught on fire. The 22-year-old driver was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, but is said to be doing fine, according to authorities.

The 25-year-old driver of the black sedan was pulled out of the vehicle by officers.

"They began performing CPR on him in an attempt to save his life. They were unable to resuscitate him. The fire department came and assisted him and the fire department pronounced him dead," Officer Jeff Will said.

His identity was not released.

The freeway was reopened just before 5 a.m.

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