Local News in Brief : 1 Dead, 3 Hurt in Crash on Simi Valley Freeway

A 52-year-old Chatsworth motorist suffered a fatal heart attack and his car crashed head-on into another vehicle on the Simi Valley Freeway early Monday, injuring three people, the California Highway Patrol said.

The victim, who was not identified pending notification of relatives, was pronounced dead at the scene after the accident, which occurred shortly before 5 a.m. in the westbound lanes of the freeway, said officer Cleo Green, a CHP spokesman.

The injured were taken to Granada Hills Community Hospital. Malone Antoine, 34, of Palmdale and Rick Bentley, 31, of Lancaster were treated for minor injuries and released, said Ginny Anderson, a hospital spokeswoman. Orin White, 50, was listed in stable condition and was transferred to Lancaster Community Hospital for observation, she said.

The heart-attack victim was traveling east on the freeway near De Soto Avenue when he was stricken, Green said. His car then crashed through the center divider and struck the second vehicle head-on before flipping over, Green said. The second car then spun around and caught fire, but all three occupants managed to escape, Green said.

Traffic was blocked for about two hours because of the accident, Green said.