Boy Killed, Brother Injured in Freeway Accident

An 11-year-old Palmdale boy was killed and his 9-year-old brother suffered serious injuries Sunday when a suspected drunk driver cut in front of the Chevrolet Blazer carrying the family, triggering a crash that ejected the two boys, authorities said.

John D. McCurdy, 50, of Los Angeles was booked on suspicion of second-degree murder at the Van Nuys jail, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Bruce Ferrier. McCurdy submitted to a urine test, but the results were not available Sunday evening, Ferrier said.

The accident took place about 4:40 p.m. on the northbound San Diego Freeway just north of the Nordhoff Street exit, Ferrier said. McCurdy, driving a Mazda Miata, cut off the Blazer in traffic, Ferrier said.

Ferrier said that as McCurdy’s car moved in front of the Blazer, it forced the Blazer’s driver--the children’s mother--to brake suddenly.

The sports utility vehicle bumped the sports car and flipped over. The children were thrown out, Ferrier said.

Paramedics pronounced the 11-year-old dead at the scene. The 9-year-old, who sustained serious injuries, was airlifted by a Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter to Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, Ferrier said.

Two other siblings in the Blazer suffered minor cuts, Ferrier said. The children’s mother suffered minor injuries, he added.

The victims’ names were not released pending notification of relatives.

It is unknown whether the children were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, he said.