SANTA MONICA : 2 Killed, 3 Hurt in Head-On PCH Collision
A head-on traffic collision killed two women and injured three other motorists in an accident that jammed rush-hour traffic and closed Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica for almost eight hours, police said.
Ruth Montes Deoca, 24, of Westchester and Dulce Gamez, 22, of South Gate died when their compact car was hit Friday by a motorist who was speeding in the center lane reserved for turns, police said.
Deoca, who was driving, stopped her car and prepared to make a left turn into one of the beach parking lots--between the California Incline and Chautauqua Boulevard--when the car was struck head-on by a speeding Cadillac, Santa Monica police Sgt. Gary Gallinot said.
The impact of the collision drove the smaller car into oncoming traffic, where it was struck by two other cars, whose drivers were treated at a local hospital and released.
The driver of the allegedly speeding car was identified by police as Mary Martin, 48, of Pacific Palisades.
Martin, who suffered minor injuries, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter, police said. She was released on $25,000 bail, according to her attorney, Charles English.
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