Local News in Brief : Driver Arrested After Fatal Freeway Wreck
The 19-year-old passenger of a sports car was killed early Sunday when the driver, who was believed to be drunk, lost control of his car on the Simi Valley Freeway in Chatsworth, California Highway Patrol officers said.
Jeffrey Blank of Simi Valley was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver, Ben Martinez, 20, of Simi Valley, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter, CHP Officer Charlotte Foley said. Martinez, who suffered moderate injuries, is being held in the jail ward at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, she said.
Blank was ejected from the car after it hit the right shoulder guardrail at Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Foley said. His body was found about 100 feet from the site of the crash.
Foley said that Martinez may have been speeding before he lost control of the car.
The accident, which occurred at 2 a.m., forced CHP officers to close the eastbound Simi Valley Freeway until about 4 a.m., officers said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
