4 Killed, 4 Others Injured in 2 O.C. Crashes

Four people were killed and four others injured in two accidents Thursday, Orange County authorities said.

Two people died when their car veered off the road and struck a light pole in Santa Ana. The names of the victims, described as a 41-year-old man and 60-year-old woman, were not released pending notification of relatives.

The accident occurred at 6:20 p.m., said Lt. Baltazar De La Riva of the Santa Ana Police Department, as the car traveled east on 17th Street approaching Wright Street.

“The vehicle suddenly either veered or turned to the right,” De La Riva said, “striking a light pole on the south side of the street. Both victims were taken to local hospitals where they later died.”

The second crash occurred at 8:50 p.m. in Anaheim when two vehicles collided on Ball Road.

Two people were declared dead at the scene, said Sgt. Rick Martinez of the Anaheim Police Department, and four others were taken to area hospitals.

“We don’t know their sex or age or anything,” he said. “At this point we don’t even know which cars they were in.”

Martinez said a GMC Sonoma traveling east in the 3100 block of West Ball Road swerved into the oncoming lane to avoid hitting another car that had turned left in front of it. The Sonoma, Martinez said, then ran head-on into a Honda Civic and overturned.

The cause of both accidents remains under investigation.