Man is killed, daughter hurt in car wreck
A 51-year-old man was killed and his 12-year-old daughter critically injured early Tuesday when the car he was driving veered out of control, crashed into a tree and caught fire in Lake Forest, authorities said.
After spending the day at Disneyland, Richard Ghabrial, 51, of Lake Forest was driving on Lake Forest Drive about 12:30 a.m. when his late-1990s model Toyota Corolla swerved into a tree in the center median near Serrano Road and caught fire, according to Orange County sheriff’s officials.
The daughter was taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo where she remains in “extremely critical” condition, said Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino.
“For an unknown reason, he kind of just drifted,” Amormino said, citing eyewitness accounts of the crash. Ghabrial did not appear to be speeding, Amormino said, adding that there was “nothing to indicate alcohol was involved” in the accident.
Ghabrial and the girl were wearing seat belts, he said. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
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.
