Unidentified Woman Found Dead in Wreck of Pickup

The body of an unidentified woman was found Monday in a pickup truck that had crashed in thick brush off the Ventura Freeway, but authorities do not know when the accident occurred.

The motorist was discovered in the driver’s seat about 8:30 a.m., said Brian Humphrey, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman.

The truck was found in thick brush near the Woodman Avenue exit, and its engine was cold when rescuers arrived, Humphrey said.

“It may have been over the side a long time,” Humphrey said.

Traffic investigators believe the woman abruptly veered right from the second lane of traffic at about 65 m.p.h., a move that caused the vehicle to roll over as it went down the embankment, said Officer David King, a California Highway Patrol spokesman. King said there was no apparent reason as to why the woman turned the car so sharply.

The driver’s side of the truck hit a tree about eight to 10 inches in diameter as it continued to roll, and investigators believe that the impact of that collision may have caused the fatal injuries, King said.

An autopsy will not take place until later this week, but the woman--who appeared to be in her 30s--suffered chest and neck injuries, Humphrey said. She was not wearing a seat belt.

Traffic on the westbound Ventura Freeway was backed up for several miles Monday morning while California Highway Patrol officers investigated the accident scene, authorities said.