2 Young Friends Killed In 110 Freeway Crash, Driver Faces DUI Charge

PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — Two young women were killed and three others were hurt in an overnight crash on a Los Angeles highway.

Officials said the driver was driving under the influence.

The women, both in their early 20s, were headed northbound on the Pasadena (110) Freeway when their car veered out of the lanes near Avenue 52 for reasons unknown.

The crash happened around 1:30 a.m. Sunday in Pasadena.

"Officers did relay that it was a vehicle into a fence. However, the reason for that is undetermined at this time," CHP Officer Alex Rubio told KNX 1070.

The driver and four passengers all had to be extricated out of the vehicle. The three survivors were also seriously hurt.

Rubio said the collision remained under investigation but family and friends of the two women believe the 110 itself -- what many consider the Southland's most dangerous freeway --  was a contributing factor.

Greg Mills, reporting for CBS2, spoke to the women's family.

Killed were Anagraciela "Ana" Cuadra, 22, and Blanca Belman Almanza, 23. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Cuadra's mother, Marlena Cuadra, told Mills through an interpreter, the two deceased were "best friends."

The group was out celebrating Cuadra's upcoming 23rd birthday. She was to turn 23 on Wednesday.

The woman's mother told Mills, "I understand that God gave me her. He took her away. He knows why... He will give me the strength."

Cuadra leaves behind two children, a 6-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.

Cuadra's mother also told Mills her daughter was scared of the 110.

"She didn't want to use the 110," said Cuadra, "And now I know why."