Dropped Mattress Triggers Fatal Four-Vehicle Crash On 55 Freeway
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — One person was killed and another arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after a dropped mattress triggered a four-vehicle crash on the 55 Freeway in Santa Ana late Friday night, authorities said.
The crash in the northbound lanes near the Dyer Road exit occurred at 11:40 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
Cynthia Brock, 53, of Costa Mesa was pronounced dead at the scene, the Orange County coroner's office said. She was driving a 1982 Toyota Celica that struck a mattress in the fast lane then hit the center divider before coming to rest sideways on the freeway, according to the CHP crash report.
Brock's Celica was then struck on the driver's side by a 2006 Ford Freestar van driven by Sherwin Ali Sabzerou, 19, of Irvine, and was pushed into the path of a 1999 Toyota sedan that rear-ended the Celica, the CHP said. That impact spun Brock's car, and it was facing the wrong way when it was struck head-on by a 1995 Honda.
While three of the four vehicles were disabled, police said Sabzerou was able to drive the van about 500 feet north of the crash site before bailing out and running from the scene. The CHP later tracked him to his home, and he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.
Two other people had minor injuries, and were taken to Western Medical Center.
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