2 Die in Car Crashes Linked to Alcohol

Two people were killed and three others injured in separate alcohol-related traffic accidents in the Palmdale area, the California Highway Patrol reported Monday.

The first accident occurred at 7 p.m. Sunday on 150th Street East, just north of Avenue O, CHP Officer Miguel Siordia said.

Frank Braden, 50, of Saugus was driving south on 150th when his car went onto the shoulder and overturned, Siordia said. A passenger, David Mason, 45, of Littlerock, was ejected from the car and killed.

Siordia said Braden was believed to have been driving under the influence of alcohol, and an investigation is continuing.

In the second accident, an unlicensed driver and three friends were in a car that went off Avenue J near 110th Street East and overturned several times.

Valentin Barrera, 11, of Palmdale, a passenger in the car, was ejected and killed. Two other passengers, Johnnie Fuentes, 15, of Palmdale, and Barrera’s sister, Valerie, 13, suffered minor injuries.

The 15-year-old San Fernando boy who was driving the car suffered serious injuries and was being treated at Antelope Valley Medical Center. The boy, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, was believed to have been driving under the influence of alcohol.