San Pedro Boy, 3, Dies After Freeway Crash Involving Alleged Drunk Driver

A 3-year-old San Pedro boy, critically injured 2 1/2 weeks ago when an alleged speeding, wrong-way drunk driver slammed into his mother’s car on a freeway in Cerritos, has died of his injuries, a hospital spokeswoman said Saturday.

Zachariah Carvellas, who suffered spinal injuries in the April 11 crash that left him paralyzed below the neck, died Tuesday at Kaiser Permanente Sunset Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Melinda Zachary said.

His 2-year-old sister, Rachael, who suffered fractures of the shoulder and leg, is now in stable condition, Zachary said. Zachariah’s mother, Rebecca Carvellas, 22, whose injuries included two broken legs and numerous facial cuts, remains in stable but guarded condition at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, said hospital spokeswoman Maria Dailey.

The suspected drunk driver, Sung Wan Choi, 36, was on probation for a hit-and-run accident while driving drunk 2 1/2 years ago. He died April 18 of his injuries.

Witnesses to the collision said Choi had been driving his van at speeds of up to 90 m.p.h. for nearly eight miles as he traveled eastbound in the westbound lanes of the Artesia Freeway.