3 Men Killed, 4 Others Hurt in 2 High-Speed Crashes

Three men were killed and four other people injured early Sunday morning in two unrelated accidents in which both drivers were speeding and lost control of their cars, the California Highway Patrol said.

Manuel Diaz Quintana, 26, of Santa Ana, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in a 2 a.m. accident on the Garden Grove Freeway, just west of Hoover Street in Westminster, said CHP Sgt. Don Hulen.

Two of his unidentified passengers were killed, Hulen said.

A third passenger, Augustine Quintana, was thrown about 40 feet from the car. He was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital where he remained in serious condition Sunday, Hulen said.

Of the four men in the two-seat sports car, only Manuel Quintana wore a seat belt, Hulen said.

Hulen said Manuel Quintana allegedly was driving about 90 m.p.h. west on the Garden Grove Freeway when he lost control of the car. The car flew into the air and hit a tree.

Manuel Quintana was treated for injuries Western Medical Center-Anaheim, where he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, Hulen said

None of the four people in the car carried identification, and Manuel Quintana provided officials with some of the information, Hulen said.

The other crash occurred in Anaheim at about the same time on the Santa Ana Freeway near Brookhurst Street. Hulen said the driver, Ramon Carmona, 23, of Anaheim, died at the scene.

An unidentified female passenger suffered “major injuries” and was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, Hulen said. A second passenger, Tomas Martinez, 24, of Anaheim, sustained minor injuries and was not treated.

In the Anaheim accident, Hulen said that Carmona was allegedly driving about 100 m.p.h. north on Brookhurst Street when he lost control of the car, which careened onto the Santa Ana Freeway on-ramp. The car became airborne and landed upside-down on the freeway, Hulen said.

Neither accident involved other cars.