2 Men From Santa Ana Die When Car Veers Off Freeway in Long Beach

Two Santa Ana men were killed during the holiday weekend when their car careened over a freeway embankment and tumbled more than 30 feet into a concrete flood channel, officials said.

The men, whose names and ages were not available Monday evening, were brothers who were on their way home after attending a church service, according to Long Beach Fire Capt. James Watson.

The two men were passengers in a southbound car driven by a 21-year-old relative, who sustained head injuries in the crash but was listed Monday in stable condition, Watson said.

The Santa Ana family members were in one of two cars that went over an embankment north of the Lakewood Boulevard exit in the 3:15 p.m. crash, Watson said. The lone occupant of the other car, an 18-year-old Gardena woman, suffered minor injuries, he said.

One or both of the cars apparently tried to change lanes and then veered sharply to avoid a collision, Watson said.

At least one of the men who died was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the rear window of the car, Watson said.