Street View of the southbound Interstate 5 off-ramp at Lincoln Avenue in Anaheim, where the crash occurred. Source: Google Maps.
KEY DETAILS
DATE & TIME
The crash happened around 3:15 a.m. on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
LOCATION
I-5 Freeway at the southbound Lincoln Avenue off-ramp, Anaheim, CA
VICTIM
Three teenagers – Victor Hugo Delgado, 17, Robert Miguel Gutierrez-Avalos, 16, and Levi Jacob Flores, 15 – were killed; a fourth occupant was hospitalized with injuries.
ROAD CLOSURES
The off-ramp and multiple southbound freeway lanes were shut down for hours, with all lanes reopened by around 8 a.m.
INVESTIGATION
The California Highway Patrol is investigating why the SUV veered off the roadway.
Three teenagers were killed and a fourth person was injured early Thursday when a Ford Edge SUV veered off the southbound 5 Freeway near the Lincoln Avenue off-ramp in Anaheim, California. The crash happened around 3:15 a.m. when the SUV struck a guardrail and a concrete pillar before careening down an embankment and overturning in nearby brush, according to the California Highway Patrol. Two of the four occupants were ejected from the vehicle in the crash. None of the occupants were reportedly wearing seat belts. The off-ramp and several southbound freeway lanes were shut down for hours while investigators worked the scene.
ABC7 Los Angeles reported that two people were killed at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital, one of whom later died from injuries. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department identified the three teens killed as 17-year-old Victor Hugo Delgado and 16-year-old Robert Miguel Gutierrez-Avalos, both of Santa Ana, and 15-year-old Levi Jacob Flores of Garden Grove, according to MyNewsLA. A witness told investigators the driver of the white SUV appeared to miss the off-ramp and lost control while making a late attempt to exit the freeway, per the CHP incident log cited by MyNewsLA. The California Highway Patrol continues to investigate what caused the SUV to veer off the roadway.
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ABC7 Los Angeles
@ABC7 · Sep 3, 2026
2 killed, 2 others injured in off-ramp crash on southbound 5 Freeway in Anaheim
California’s basic speed law, Vehicle Code section 22350, prohibits driving at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent given the traffic, visibility, and roadway conditions, regardless of any posted limit. Investigators say the SUV involved in this crash appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed before it missed the freeway off-ramp, lost control, and went over an embankment. When speed prevents a driver from safely exiting or staying in their lane, California law treats that speed as a violation even if it falls under the numerical limit.
California’s mandatory seat belt law, Vehicle Code section 27315, requires every driver and passenger in a moving vehicle to wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt. None of the four occupants in this crash were reportedly restrained, which authorities say contributed to two of them being ejected from the SUV. Ejection dramatically increases the risk of fatal injury in a rollover or high-speed collision, which is why California law makes seat belt use mandatory for every seating position.
This summary is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its specific facts.
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