Garden Grove, CA – Multi-vehicle Collision on 22 Freeway Kills Woman and Child; Man Suspected of DUI
Posted on January 2, 2019 Written By: iadminlaw
Multi-vehicle Collision in Garden Grove on 22 Freeway Kills Woman and Child; Man Suspected of DUI
GARDEN GROVE, CA (January 2, 2019) – A woman and a young girl were killed in a collision early Tuesday morning in Garden Grove. The January 1 accident occurred on the 22 Freeway, and involved a man who is accused of driving under the influence.
The time was a little before 1:00 a.m.
The California Highway Patrol says that the crash occurred in the freeway’s westbound lanes, near Valley View Street and to the east of it. A vehicle—described as a BMW sedan—had been going at a very fast speed at the time it struck the back end of another vehicle—described as a Lexus—which had been traveling in the carpool lane.
Officials said the Lexus smashed into a sound barrier. The BMW continued on the freeway and smashed into another vehicle—described as a Ford F-150 pickup truck. The driver of the pickup was identified as a woman 33 years old and a resident of Hawthorne. Her passenger was a nine-year-old girl, also from Hawthorne, the California Highway Patrol and Orange County Department of Coroner said.
The pickup rolled over, landing on its side. It then traveled across the lanes of traffic while the BMW continued to push it. The pickup truck and the BMW then hit a guard rail and stopped. Another vehicle—described as a Mazda sedan—hit the pickup truck that was overturned. The Mazda then smashed into the divider in the center of the freeway.
According to April Carter, who is a sergeant with the California Highway Patrol, the driver of the BMV—identified as Melvin Cleveland Branch, a resident of Orange who had his 30th birthday on New Year’s Eve—was arrested on suspicion of DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
According to authorities, the woman and young girl who had been traveling in the pickup died from the injuries they suffered. The identities of the two victims have not yet been reported. Carter said that Branch suffered injuries that were described as minor. The people who had been driving the Lexus and the Mazda did not suffer injuries, reports say.
Officers put Branch in the rear of a patrol car. Reports say that while he was seated in the back, he kicked out a back window. He jumped from the vehicle before officers captured him and returned him to the vehicle.
Investigators are continuing to examine the details, information, and evidence regarding the crash.
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