Driver Turns Himself In After Crash
A 20-year-old Chatsworth man turned himself in to authorities Sunday, hours after he allegedly caused a fatal accident.
Ernesto Mendoza walked into the West Valley office of the California Highway Patrol and was booked on suspicion of felony hit-run driving in connection with the accident, according to CHP Officer Tariq Johnson.
Johnson said Mendoza had been driving west on the Ronald Reagan Freeway at more than 70 mph about 3:45 a.m. when his truck rear-ended a compact car that was then struck by another vehicle.
The driver of the compact car, identified only as an 85-year-old man from Las Vegas, was ejected from his vehicle.
He was later pronounced dead.
The driver of the third vehicle, a 20-year-old woman from Chatsworth, complained of chest pains and was driven to a local hospital. Her condition was not known, Johnson said.
Mendoza was taken to the Van Nuys jail.
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