Freeway Rear-End Crash Kills 2

Two men died late Sunday when their car was rear-ended and overturned on the San Diego Freeway in Seal Beach, authorities said.

The men were in a 1983 Toyota Cressida traveling north in the fast lane when a 2001 Mercedes struck the car from behind, causing it to roll over.

The driver, Miguel Romera Garcia, 34, of Santa Ana, was declared dead at the scene of the 11:15 p.m. crash just north of 7th Street. His 40-year-old passenger also died at the scene. Officers said Monday they were withholding his name pending notification of relatives who live out of state. “We’re not sure exactly how it happened,” said Officer Gary Goldenberg, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. The Toyota, he said, “was going extraordinarily slow.”

The driver of the Mercedes was a 17-year-old from Anaheim Hills. She and two of her passengers--ages 15 and 17--were not injured. A third passenger, a 19-year-old from Anaheim, had a minor knee injury that paramedics treated.

The men in the Toyota were both wearing seat belts, Goldenberg said. “It’s unknown whether it was the impact of the rear-ending or the rollover that caused their injuries,” he said. The driver of the Mercedes was not cited, but the incident is under investigation, Goldenberg said.