High School Student Killed, 2 Injured After Car Runs Off 5 Freeway In Downey
DOWNEY (CBSLA) — One local high school student has died from injuries sustained from a crash after the car the person was riding in went approximately 200 yards down an embankment from the 5 Freeway in Downey.
The Downey Unified School District confirmed to CBSLA that the teen who died was a student at Warren High School. He was identified by the CHP as 17-year-old Jaylon Connish of Carson.
Two other passengers, reportedly also Warren High School football players, were injured in the crash, according to authorities. Their condition is unknown at this moment.
Downey Unified officials say they plan to provide mental health support to students and staff who are grieving when school resumes Monday morning.
"Our Downey Unified family is heartbroken that we have lost one of our Warren High School students, a young man with a bright future ahead of hime who has been such a big part of our Downey Unified family," a statement from the district said. "Our prayers are with our two students who are currently fighting and, as a Downey Unified family, we will rally around them to support them during this extremely challenging time."
The crash happened at around 10:50 p.m. on Saturday night. The gray Nissan Altima was traveling along the southbound 5 freeway, near the southbound 605 freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol. Only the driver, a 17-year-old from Compton, was wearing a seatbelt, according to the CHP.
When paramedics arrived on scene, they rushed three people to a nearby trauma center where one of the passengers succumbed to their injuries in the single-vehicle crash, according to the Downey Fire Department.
Originally, when firefighters arrived to the crash site they reported two people had been ejected from the car and another was trapped inside the wreckage.
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