LOS ANGELES – A 19-year-old woman was killed and three men were injured Sunday in a single-vehicle rollover on a freeway connector road near Griffith Park.
Aileen Ruiz was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the county Medical Examiner’s office.
Two men were hospitalized with what the California Highway Patrol described as major injuries, and one man was taken by ambulance for treatment of minor injuries.
The crash occurred about 12:50 a.m. Sunday at a freeway connector from the eastbound Ventura (134) Freeway to the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway, the California Highway Patrol reported.
A white 2001 Honda sedan was found on its roof, partially blocking the slow lane. The CHP reported the vehicle was “cut apart by fire.”
One person was ejected from the vehicle and two others were trapped inside, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. A fourth made it out without assistance.
Firefighters used hydraulic rescue tools to free the two trapped patients, the LAFD’s Nicholas Prange said.
The 20-year-old man driving the Honda was southbound in the No. 2 lane of the 5 Freeway south of the 134 Freeway overpass when he lost control and began to veer right, the CHP stated. The car then crashed into a metal guardrail bordering the right shoulder of the freeway, and the car overturned, landing on its roof on the connector.
One of the men riding as a passenger was not wearing a seat belt, according to the CHP. It was unclear whether he was the person ejected.
There were no arrests, and neither drugs nor alcohol were factors in the crash, according to the agency.
The CHP issued a SigAlert about 1 a.m., shutting down the transition road. All lanes were reopened about 5 a.m.