i looked back. and [ pause ] i just saw the grief, the anguish on the grief on her face. reporter: brown said there was nowhere to pull over on the bridge, so he came to a stop in the lanes and started helping some of the passengers squeeze through the partition. other drivers stopped to help. but by the time someone opened a rear door, the entire back end of the limo was engulfed. it was horrific, you know, just something that i never imagined you know never would imagine that happened. reporter: only four of the passengers could escape. the five others died inside their bodies found huddled near the partition. it s an tis paid the that this investigation will take several weeks to complete. reporter: at a news conference, chp investigators say they already know one thing for sure: the limo was not supposed to be carrying that many passengers. this particular vehicle is listed with the puc as for carrying 8 or fewer passengers. reporter: the braid, 31