Mission Viejo Woman Dies After Crash on Freeway

A 42-year-old Mission Viejo woman was fatally injured Saturday when her car spun out of control and landed in a ditch on the Riverside Freeway, the California Highway Patrol said Sunday.

The accident occurred at 4:30 p.m., east of the Lakeview Avenue on-ramp, said CHP spokesman Marc Shaw.

Witnesses told officers that Sara Crockett was driving east on the freeway when, for unknown reasons, the car skidded out of control. It skidded sideways across the freeway and struck a tree on the right shoulder of the road. The car continued to spin before coming to a stop in a concrete drainage ditch, Shaw said.

Crockett, who was wearing a seat belt, was trapped inside the car until authorities arrived, Shaw said. She was taken to a hospital where she died at 8:30 p.m., Shaw said.

The investigation was continuing Sunday.