2 Girls Thrown From Camper in Freeway Crash

Two children were seriously injured Monday when they were thrown from a camper shell on the back of a pickup truck that blew a tire and crashed into a center divider on the Artesia Freeway.

The accident occurred about 11:55 a.m., shortly after Luz M. Carlos, 34, of Riverside experienced a flat tire on her 1955 Chevrolet pickup, California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Linda Burrus said.

Carlos, whose four children were in the camper shell, tried to pull over to the freeway shoulder near the Orangethorpe Avenue ramp, lost control of the pickup and started to swerve toward the center divider, Burrus said.

As Carlos’ westbound pickup began spinning out of control, Burrus said, a Volkswagen van struck it from behind, sending it into the concrete median.

“The impact with the second (vehicle) and the median barrier tore the camper shell off the truck, and two of the kids were ejected,” Burrus said.

The camper shell landed in the eastbound fast lane, she said.

Two of Carlos’ children, girls ages 10 and 5, were taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange. One of the girls was in the pediatric intensive care unit with fractures to the right leg and arm, cuts to the face and other injuries, Burrus said. The other child sustained trauma. None of the girls’ injuries appeared to be life threatening, she said.

Carlos’ two other children, a 2-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, were not thrown from the truck. The boy received moderate injuries, but was not hospitalized. The 15-year-old and Carlos were unharmed.

Aileen Angel, 40, of Orange, the driver of the van, was treated at La Palma Intercommunity Hospital for minor injuries, Burrus said.

Investigators said Carlos’ blown tire was tread-bare and worn down to the metal cords. Burrus said no citations were issued pending the outcome of an investigation.