Officials said the driver of the big rig was traveling on the westbound lanes on the 60 Freeway when he lost control of his tractor-trailer rig at around 1:40 a.m. The driver was trying to transition to the 605 Freeway and went through the center divider.
The big rig landed on the opposite side of the freeway, where it collided with a Nissan Sentra.
"The driver was coherent, indicated that he entered the transition road somewhere between 45 and 55 mph and at some point he lost control of his vehicle, " said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Preciado. "The trailer is empty, which can also be a factor."
The two women in the Nissan, ages 42 and 45, died at the scene. Their names have not been released pending notification of next of kin.
The driver of the big rig was taken to a hospital, where he's expected to be OK.
The big rig also hit Laurie Hi's minivan.
"The car just hit it and fly over. All the rock and mirror and everything hit my car. It's so bad," she said.
For six hours, all lanes were shut down on the 60 East, as investigators tried to determine the cause of the accident. Preciado said possible causes include unsafe speed and wet roads.
