Three teenagers were killed and a fourth was critically injured early Thursday morning when the SUV they were riding in veered off the southbound 5 Freeway near the Lincoln Avenue off-ramp in Anaheim. The white Ford Edge struck a guardrail and a concrete pillar before hitting a sloped embankment and overturning, according to authorities. Two of the teens were ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene; a third died at the hospital. The lone survivor remained hospitalized in critical condition, and none of the four occupants were wearing seat belts.
ABC7 Los Angeles reported that the Orange County coroner identified the three victims as 17-year-old Victor Hugo Delgado and 16-year-old Miguel Gutierrez-Avalos, both of Santa Ana, and 15-year-old Levi Jacob Flores of Garden Grove. NBC Los Angeles reported that California Highway Patrol investigators said the driver appeared to have missed the off-ramp and lost control while attempting a late, high-speed exit, and that drugs or alcohol have not been ruled out as a factor. Multiple southbound lanes of the freeway were shut down during the investigation. The identity of the driver has not been publicly confirmed, and the crash remains under active CHP investigation.
