SANTA ANA : Driver Held After 2 Injured in Crash
An alleged drunk driver was in critical condition Monday after his vehicle veered off the northbound Santa Ana Freeway Sunday night and crashed on a freeway on-ramp.
The motorist, Chuc T. Hoang, 23, of Orange, was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where he was listed in critical condition with head injuries, a nursing supervisor said.
California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Angel Johnson said that neither Hoang nor a passenger, Lap Nguyen, were wearing seat belts when the speeding car veered off the right shoulder about 10 p.m. The car rolled over several times as it traveled down a 15-foot embankment to the freeway on-ramp at Grand Avenue. Hoang was trapped inside as the car rolled, but Nguyen was ejected, Johnson said.
Nguyen, 33, of Garden Grove was in stable condition at the medical center, hospital officials said.
Hoang was placed under arrest at the hospital on suspicion of felony drunk driving, Johnson said.
The wreckage blocked traffic for several hours Sunday night before police and paramedics cleared the scene, Johnson 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.
