Teen Injured in Freeway Wreck
A 17-year-old girl was critically injured Tuesday when her 1991 Ford Mustang ran into a California Highway Patrol cruiser stopped in traffic assisting a stalled vehicle on the Orange Freeway in Diamond Bar.
The noon accident, which shut the northbound freeway for nearly six hours, involved four cars, causing a backup to Yorba Linda Boulevard in Fullerton and tying up traffic into rush hour.
The girl, whose name was not released, suffered “major injuries,” CHP spokeswoman Sylvia Santana said. She was airlifted from the freeway to San Dimas Community Hospital.
The incident began about 11:55 a.m. when a trash truck broke down in the lane adjacent to the slow lane near Pathfinder Road, and a CHP officer parked behind the truck. The officer set out traffic cones to divert vehicles around the two vehicles and the two right-hand lanes, Santana said.
A few minutes later, the girl drove through the cones and crashed into the cruiser, then careened into two other vehicles, Santana said. CHP shut the freeway, detouring cars onto surface streets at Pathfinder Road. It was reopened at 5:30 p.m.
Four other commuters in the three cars suffered minor injuries, Santana said. All, including the critically injured girl, were wearing seat belts, she said.
An investigation of the crash is underway. Charges have not been filed.
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