2 KILLED IN HIGHWAY 138 CRASH.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

A driver who ran a stop sign Wednesday on a remote two-lane highway north of Santa Clarita triggered a crash that left two people dead, officials said.

The names of the deceased, described only as a driver and passenger who looked to be in their 40s, were unknown pending identification by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, said Officer Doug Sweeney of the California Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred about 12:45 p.m. on State Highway 138, the main northern artery between the Golden State Freeway and the Antelope Valley Freeway. Daniel Long, 46, was heading north on Three Points Road when he drove past the stop sign at Highway 138, Sweeney said.

``He admitted running the stop sign,'' Sweeney said. Long, a resident of Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County, was driving a 1998 Ford Ranger pickup truck.

``Being unfamiliar with the area, (he) thought that the stop sign was for (traffic on) the 138, and not for him,'' Sweeney said.

The pickup crashed broadside into a 1998 Toyota Tacoma that was traveling east on Highway 138. The collision pushed the Tacoma into the westbound traffic lanes, into the path of tractor-trailer rig, Sweeney said.

``They collided head-on. The driver and passenger in the Toyota Tacoma were killed upon impact,'' Sweeney said.

The driver of the big rig - Andrew McCormick, 32, of Fortuna in Humboldt County, was unhurt.

The CHP stationed officers at the interchanges of the Golden State and Antelope Valley freeways to alert drivers of the closure of all Highway 138 traffic lanes at the crash scene. The road was expected to be closed about six hours, Sweeney said.

Highway 138 runs about 40 miles between the two freeways, Sweeney said.

Officers hadn't made any arrests in the wake of the accident.

``We've determined that (Long) was not under the influence of alcohol. That wasn't a factor,'' Sweeney said.