One person was killed early Saturday morning in a three-vehicle crash on the westbound Century (105) Freeway in Lynwood
STAFF
An 18-year-old passenger was killed early Saturday morning when a DUI suspect drove into oncoming traffic on the 105 Freeway in Lynwood and slammed into a vehicle with five people inside, authorities said.
The deceased woman was identified by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office as Briauna Ramirez, whose birthday was on Thursday.
The head-on collision was reported shortly after 3 a.m. on the westbound side of the freeway, just east of Long Beach Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol. A third vehicle was also involved.
CHP investigators said the 24-year-old driver of a 1999 Honda was heading eastbound in the westbound No. 1 lane when that vehicle struck a 2012 Honda that was traveling at 75 mph. A driver and four passengers, including Ramirez, were in the second vehicle.
Ramirez, who was in the front seat of the 2012 Honda, was pronounced dead at the scene. Both drivers and the surviving passengers were transported to hospitals, the Highway Patrol said in a statement.
The wrong-way driver, a resident of West Covina, was taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood with moderate injuries and was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. The suspect’s name was not immediately released.
There were four other passengers in the car that was hit, including an 18-year-old Coachella resident and a 29-year-old Coachella woman. They were also taken to St. Francis Medical Center, where they were treated for major injuries.
Two other people in the vehicle, a 28-year-old woman from La Quinta and a 28-year-old woman from Thousand Palms, were taken to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Downey with major injuries.
A representative from the coroner’s office was called to the location at 4:05 a.m, the CHP said.
The pileup prompted a SigAlert and the closure of the freeway’s westbound lanes at Long Beach Boulevard, according to Caltrans.
All westbound lanes of the Century Freeway at Long Beach Boulevard were closed. All lanes were re-opened at about 7:25 a.m.
