Car hits tree, killing 2 sisters

Two sisters were killed and their cousin was seriously injured in a crash early Sunday, when the car they were riding in spun out of control and hit a tree, nearly cutting it in half, police said.

The driver, Blanca Lopez, 19, of Santa Ana, was pronounced dead at the scene, and her 17-year-old sister, whose identity was not released, died after being taken to an area hospital, Sgt. James Colegrove of the Garden Grove Police Department said in a statement.

Their cousin Martha Ochoa, 19, of Santa Ana suffered burns and major internal injuries but was expected to survive.

Police who responded to the crash just after midnight found the black Toyota Camry “wrapped around a tree” on Euclid Street north of Acacia Parkway, Colegrove said, and the roof and doors of the vehicle had to be removed to get the victims out.

Ochoa, who was riding in the front passenger seat, suffered some injuries by coming into contact with the engine after the dashboard was torn from the car and the floorboard was ripped open. Lopez’s sister was riding in the back seat.

Colegrove said the trio had been partying at a nightclub during an “underage night” and the car was traveling at a high speed. It wasn’t known if alcohol was a factor. A canister of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, was found in the vehicle, Colegrove said.

-- Christian Berthelsen