A fiery crash on the 405 Freeway near Los Angeles International Airport left three people dead, including two teenagers, the California Highway Patrol said Sunday.
The crash occurred around 7:50 a.m. Saturday on the southbound 405 at the Century Boulevard connector road, according to a CHP news release.
A Toyota Scion was approaching the curve at the end of the collector road that leads back to the 405 when the car suddenly veered off the road into a dirt embankment and then hit a concrete column, the release stated.
When first responders arrived at the scene, the car was on its side and engulfed in flames.
The driver, identified as 19-year-old Aldo Noe Acosta Verdin, died at the scene, as did an unnamed 24-year-old female passenger, according to CHP.
A 16-year-old passenger sustained major injuries and was rushed to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead, the release stated. She also has not yet been identified.
The fourth occupant, a 19-year-old man, was hospitalized with major injuries.
The victims were all students or recent graduates of Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, according to the Press-Enterprise. Although CHP identified one of the females as being an adult, relatives and friends of the victims told the newspaper that both deceased females were teens from Moreno Valley.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office has not released the names of the females, telling KTLA shortly after 8 p.m. that one of them had only been partially identified, while the other’s body remained at the hospital.
In the aftermath of the deadly crash, the connector road was shut down for approximately four hours following the crash.
The cause was under investigation, but speed was believed to have been a factor, according to CHP.
Witnesses have been asked to call Officer Rezai at the CHP’s West Los Angeles Office at 310-642-3939.
KTLA’s Matt Phillips contributed to this story.