Two Dead, Two Injured in Wrong-Way DUI Crash
PORTER RANCH (March 7, 2023) – An early morning crash ended in tragedy on Sunday when a driver believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol drove the wrong way on the 118 Freeway in Porter Ranch. Reports state that the wrong-way driver collided head-on with a yellow box truck at Tampa Avenue, causing the death of two individuals and seriously injuring two others.
The crash happened at around 4:25 a.m. According to reports from KTLA, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson told reporters that the driver of a dark-colored sedan was traveling eastbound in the freeway’s westbound lanes when the head-on collision occurred.
Video footage shows that the sedan had been crushed, and the truck rolled into an embankment near the off-ramp.
Driver Under the Influence Kills Two in Porter Ranch
Two passengers inside the sedan were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, who California Highway Patrol officials believe was intoxicated at the time of the crash, was transported to a hospital with severe injuries.
The westbound lanes of the 118 Freeway were closed for several hours on Sunday morning as authorities investigated the incident.
Los Angeles Daily News reports that two people were pronounced dead at the scene. They say that Brian Humphrey, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson, confirmed that paramedics were dispatched to the location at 4:30 a.m. and that two other people, including the driver, were rushed to regional trauma centers.
A representative from the coroner’s office was called to the scene at 5:44 a.m.
The wrong-way driver is said to have suffered severe injuries, and the driver of the yellow box truck, though seriously injured, was expected to survive.
