DUI Suspected In Fatal Rollover Crash On PCH
MALIBU (CBSLA.com) — Eastbound lanes of Pacific Coast Highway at Corral Canyon were closed for nearly six hours Saturday following a fatal three-vehicle collision.
Malibu/Lost Hills deputies and Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel responded to the scene, where a full-size GMC pick-up truck was found turned over, around 6:20 a.m., according to an L.A. County Sheriff's Department spokesperson.
A preliminary investigation showed the pick-up truck was traveling eastbound on PCH when it hit a parked Honda Civic and overturned.
Paramedics say the man driving the Civic died at the scene. Deputies identified him as 47-year-old Dewayne Coleman.
A woman in the passenger's seat of the Civic was injured and transported to a hospital. Her condition is unknown.
Another parked vehicle, a GMC Sierra pick-up truck, was struck by the suspects vehicle, according to investigators.
The GMC Sierra also had a man in the driver's seat and a female passenger. Both were uninjured.
An eyewitness says he believes the victims, like him, were there to watch the sunrise.
"I heard a bunch of screaming," said witness Yash Youssefi told CBS2/KCAL9's Jennifer Kastner, who was the first to call 911. "I was barefoot and started running up the hill."
The driver of the overturned GMC truck that allegedly triggered the crash sustained minor injuries. Philip Thomas Torres II, 33, of Oxnard was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
CHP reopened PCH to eastbound traffic at Corral Canyon around 12:30 p.m.
"It can be dangerous on the PCH, especially in the fog, or especially at night," Malibu resident Jason Felice said.
Actor Rob Lowe, who lives in Malibu, posted about the crash on Twitter and placed some of the blame on authorities. He linked to a Malibu Patch article that stated this was the fourth major wreck on this stretch of PCH in the past month.
Lowe's sister-in-law, Kim Lowe, tweeted that something needs to be done to make the roadway safer.
Anyone with information about the crash can contact Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station traffic investigators at (818) 878-1808.
