1 Dead, 1 Hurt as Pickup Hits Pole, Skids Into House

A 27-year-old La Mirada woman was killed Tuesday and a 33-year-old Buena Park woman was in critical condition after their pickup truck slammed into a power pole and then skidded into a house in Anaheim.

Investigators said they believe alcohol and excessive speed were factors in the crash, which occurred about 2:25 a.m. in the 1200 block of North Brookhurst Street.

“Alcohol is suspected, but we won’t know for sure for a couple of months,” said Investigator Rick Alexander. “There was an odor of alcohol” at the crash site.

The name of the deceased driver was not released Tuesday because the family of her injured passenger had not been located. Neither woman was carrying identification when the 1987 Ford Ranger crashed, police said.

No witnesses to the crash have come forward, police said. But investigators said debris and skid marks at the scene indicated the driver was traveling north on Brookhurst Street at high speed when the pickup hit the east curb, flipped onto the passenger side and skidded until the truck’s roof hit a power pole.

The truck then landed upright and skidded into the house, about 500 feet from the point of impact with the curb. Alexander said the truck crashed about eight inches into the home.

Paramedics cut the victims from the truck and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The other woman suffered massive internal injuries and was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, Alexander said.

Police asked that anyone with information about the accident call traffic Investigator Vincent Delgado at (714) 254-1835 or Alexander at (714) 254-1861.