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A teen driver was arrested after a crash that killed a 16-year-old girl and injured six people in Orange County. (Photo: ABC Channel 7 News)
Fatal DUI crash: Police arrested a 19-year-old driver on felony charges Monday after he crashed his car at 70 mph and killed a 16-year-old passenger in an unincorporated area of Orange County.
• Police say a 19-year-old driver was under the influence of alcohol when he crashed his car at 70 mph on a dark canyon road.
• The car hit a tree and rolled over, ejecting a 16-year-old passenger. She died at the scene.
• The driver — who was hospitalized with major injuries — was arrested on felony DUI and felony vehicular manslaughter.
The deadly car accident occurred at about 1:45 a.m. on Santiago Canyon Road near Silverado Canyon Road, 25 miles southeast of Anaheim, according to an NBC News report.
California Highway Patrol Officer Todd Kovaletz said 19-year-old Antonio Escamilla was driving a Honda Civic southbound on Santiago Canyon Road, behind another Honda Civic. Both cars were headed to to an area called Black Star Canyon and were traveling at about 70 mph, according to the NBC report.
A deer apparently darted onto the road, causing the first car to brake suddenly. Escamilla, who was following very close behind, slammed on his brakes and crashed into the car in front. The impact sent Escamilla’s car off the road, where it hit a tree and rolled over.
One of the passengers in Escamilla’s car, 16-year-old Irvine High School student Marie “Lizzie” Johnson, was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the car. She died at the scene.
Six others were injured in the fatal DUI crash, including Escamilla, who was hospitalized with major injuries. He was arrested on felony DUI and felony vehicular manslaughter charges, but remained in the hospital where he was being treated for his injuries. Kovaletz said officers found beer at the scene.
Orange County Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
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