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.
Two people were killed and two others were injured early Thursday morning when their vehicle went off the southbound 5 Freeway near the Lincoln Avenue off-ramp in Anaheim, California. The California Highway Patrol says the crash was reported around 3:15 a.m., after the vehicle apparently missed the off-ramp and went down an embankment alongside the freeway. Two of the four occupants were reportedly ejected in the crash. The two right southbound lanes and the off-ramp were shut down for several hours while investigators worked the scene.
According to ABC7 Los Angeles, the two injured occupants were taken to a hospital in unknown condition, per the Metro Cities Fire Authority. CHP has not released the names of those killed, and the circumstances leading up to the crash remain under investigation. A SigAlert was issued for the lane closures during the morning commute. Authorities have not said whether speed, impairment, or another factor contributed to the crash.
