The Solano County coroner's office on Monday identified a married couple who died in a weekend collision near Fairfield.
Carmen Sayada, 60, and her husband Bhupendra Patel, 66, both of Fairfield, were traveling on northbound Interstate Highway 680 during the accident.
Sayada was driving a 2001 Lincoln Town Car around 9:15 p.m. when it was struck from behind by a northbound 2000 Jeep Cherokee driven by James Martin Hepner, 56, of Walnut Creek, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Bret Kwarta said.
Hepner was allegedly driving at an unsafe speed north of Gold Hill Road, and the collision caused the Lincoln to hit a northbound 2009 Toyota Corolla, Kwarta said.
The Lincoln burst into flames, trapping Sayada and Patel, who were pronounced dead at the scene, Kwarta said.
Meanwhile, Hepner suffered moderate injuries and was taken to the NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield. The female driver of the Toyota, a Rio Linda resident, suffered minor injuries and was released at the scene.
Drugs and alcohol are suspected as factors in the crash, Kwarta said.
Local
Northbound I-680 was blocked for about three hours during the investigation, and traffic was diverted off the highway onto Gold Hill Road.
The CHP is asking anyone with information about the collisions to call (707) 428-2100 or (800) 835-5247.
