1 Man Killed, 1 Injured in Single-Car Crash
A 32-year-old man was fatally injured Friday night when the car he was riding in went off Elizabeth Lake Road and slammed into a tree, a Los Angeles County coroner’s spokeswoman said.
Joseph Paul Johnson, of Leona Valley, who was in the front seat, suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, Lt. Cheryl MacWillie of the coroner’s office said Saturday.
The accident occurred about 9 p.m. on Elizabeth Lake Road, near Ranch Club Road. The car’s driver, whose name was not released, sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, MacWillie said.
A coroner’s investigator noted “a discernible odor of an alcoholic beverage” around Johnson, MacWillie said. Johnson was not wearing a lap seat belt, and it was unclear whether he had been wearing a shoulder belt.
The driver was in stable condition Saturday, nurse supervisor Carol Mears said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
