1 Dies, 1 Injured When Car Plunges Off Freeway
A male passenger was killed and the driver seriously injured when a car hurtled down an embankment off the Ventura Freeway in Woodland Hills and crashed into a tree Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
The auto struck the tree broadside with enough force to separate and scatter some of its parts, Sgt. Chuck McCrory said.
The passenger, 33, was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he died about 1:15 p.m., a spokeswoman said. His name was withheld pending notification of relatives.
The driver, who police said suffered a broken leg, was in stable condition at Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Woodland Hills, a spokeswoman said.
The accident occurred about 11 a.m. near the freeway’s Topanga Canyon Boulevard exit. The car was going about 75 m.p.h. in the freeway’s fast lane when the driver “lost control, crossed all lanes, crossed the shoulder, went down an embankment and struck the tree,” McCrory said. “The engine, grille, front end, transmission--the impact was so severe they were separated from the vehicle.”
A third occupant declined medical attention, police said. A German shepherd jumped out of the car after the crash and died after being struck on the freeway, authorities said.
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