Three people who died on Bay Bridge in Mini Cooper ID'd
Three people in a Mini Cooper died Thursday morning on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge after being struck by the driver of a Toyota Tacoma, fire officials said. Feb. 15, 2024
SAN FRANCISCO - The three people who died in a stalled Mini Cooper on the Bay Bridge last week have been identified.
The San Francisco Medical Examiner said Sean Luttjohann, 59; Lorissa Weller, 38; and Bim Thorpe, 29; all of Alameda County, died on Feb. 15. The coroner did not release what cities the people lived in.
It's also unclear who was driving the car at the time, although the car was registered to Weller, records show.
The Mini Cooper had stopped, or possibly broken down, in the No. 4 lane on the bridge, when the driver of a Toyota Tacoma slammed into it about 4:15 a.m., San Francisco Fire Lt. Mariano Elias said.
Firefighters extricated the people inside the Mini Cooper but the driver and the rear passenger died at the scene, Elias said.
A passenger in the Mini Cooper who had major injuries died later, the California Highway Patrol said.
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The driver of the Tacoma was also hospitalized with major injuries, officials said.
According to LinkedIn, Luttjohann was the owner and CEO of Technical Integration Computer Services, or TICS, in Dublin. His Facebook page also said he worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Weller's LinkedIn showed she was an assistant store manager and Thorpe was a supervisor at the same Starbucks in Dublin.
KTVU reached out to the Starbucks on Owens Drive where they worked and was told to contact corporate headquarters.
In an email, Starbucks spokesman Sam Jefferies said the company is "devastated" by the loss of their two employees, but wanted to respect the privacy wishes of the families by not saying more.
A neighbor of Weller, who wanted to remain anonymous, said they knew her since Weller was a teen. "Lorissa was a very sweet and smart young lady." They said they were devastated by the news. Years ago, they were given a pet by Weller. The neighbor described it as the "best cat we ever had. We will miss her very much. Just shocking news."